Tony Vitello updates starting pitching plans for Sunday
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello announced in postgame Saturday afternoon that left-handed pitcher Zander Sechrist will ‘most likely’ make another Sunday start on the mound for the Vols in the series-finale Sunday afternoon.
First pitch is slated for 1 o’clock eastern time Sunday afternoon. Tennessee has won the first two ballgames of the series and will be looking to sweep the Great Danes with the crafty veteran on the bump.
“Zander [Sechrist] will most likely start. I haven’t told him that, but just giving you an honest answer,” the coach told the media. “We’ll probably use him. We’ll definitely use [Nate] Snead. We had Snead about ready to go in this game.”
Sechrist earned his first-career weekend start last weekend at the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown, but struggled against the Baylor Bears. The senior gave up three runs on four hits in only two innings of work, while striking out and walking one batter apiece. The southpaw threw 42 pitches in the start.
“You know, a couple times with two strikes, trying to be too fine or trying to strike a guy out. You know, Baylor is like us. They were taking really good swings, too. It’s the last day, you don’t want to leave anything on the table and he left a couple pitches that were not only over the middle of the plate, but a couple of them were bleeding back into righties and these guys aren’t going to miss,” the coach said on Sechrist’s start last weekend in Texas.
Nate Snead, who made his Tennessee debut in last Sunday’s 11-5 win over Baylor as well, was also in consideration to earnt he start. Coming in from the bullpen to relieve Sechrist, Snead tossed five innings of relief to earn the win after allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and five walks.
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It was not the best outing initially, as three walks and an RBI triple allowed the tow runs to score right off the bat. But Snead settled down and was really sharp the rest of the day against Baylor – even stranded a pair of runners on the corners in his final inning of work.
“The first inning he was out there, I think he hit 99 [mph]. Juices were flowing and it was your first outing of the season in this amazing park,” infielder Christian Moore said on Snead after the win against Baylor in Texas. “You’re probably going to be a little rushed and sped up. For him to settle down for us and give us three or four innings, that was huge tonight.”
“Circumstances changed a little bit, but Snead and [Marcus] Phillips are ready to go. And [Andrew] Behnke is a guy we need to get in the game tomorrow,” Vitello continued when asked of pitching plans for Sunday. “And even though [Derek] Schaefer and [Matthew] Dallas started during the midweek, both of those guys should be ready. We feel good about having everybody we can to throw at those guys.”
With the third starter in the weekend rotation up for grabs, Sechrist once again has an opportunity to submit his best resume on Sunday against Albany.
