Super Regional Preview: Evansville @ Tennessee
Super Regional Preview: Evansville @ Tennessee
Part 1/8, gearing up for Supers!
What a damn weekend of Regionals! Not only did I sit back and enjoy what was the most competitive field of 64 I can remember in some time, but I correctly nailed the Evansville Purple Aces and Oregon Ducks as my favorite 3 & 4 seeds that both advanced from their respective regionals
Now that we’re approaching Supers, we’ll preview every series, starting in Knoxville with the #1 overall seed Tennessee Volunteers taking on America’s Team in the Evansville Purple Aces.
This is the true David vs. Goliath matchup; the Vols are the last remaining team that ranks in the top-5 of pitching and hitting and are easily the front-runner to win Omaha. If they make the same mistake as the bunch of the Greenville Regional, the Purple Aces can surprise you.
Let’s start with the pitching; Tennessee rolls out a deadly 1-2 punch of AJ Causey and Drew Beam, and the 3rd game will be up in the air for a starter as they’ve cycled through a handful of arms. The bullpen holds some of the best arms in the SEC in Nate Snead, Dylan Loy, Andrew Behnke, and Chris Stamos.
All of which strung together dominant performances all season to hold down some of the best offenses in the country. The most interesting part of this matchup is that it’s strength vs strength because the Purple Aces' offense is no slouch. We saw them get to Zach Root and the ECU staff, many of which were flirting with All-American status for a good chunk of the year. There is definitely a talent gap in ECU and Tennesee’s stats, but there’s no denying they’re ready for Rocky Top despite not seeing Trey Yesavage.
AJ Causey: 12-3, 81.1 IP, 3.98 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 109 K, 17 BB, .248 B/AVG
Drew Beam: 8-2, 88.2 IP, 4.16 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 80 K, 22 BB, .264 B/AVG
Nate Snead: 9-2, 65 IP, 3.05 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 55 K, 20 BB, .256 B/AVG
Dylan Loy: 18 APP, 27.2 IP, 2.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 33 K, 10 BB, .194 B/AVG
Andrew Behnke: 20 APP, 24.2 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 33 K, 8 BB, .185 B/AVG
Chris Stamos: 19 APP, 30 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 32 K, 15 BB, .184 B/AVG
The Vols offense is just as scary. It is headlined by a slew of potential first-round draft picks in Christian Moore and Billy Amick, both protected by Blake Burke, Dylan Dreiling and Kavares Tears.
Christian Moore: .378/.449/.780, 29 HR, 67 RBI
Billy Amick: .310/.394/.667, 21 HR, 60 RBI
Blake Burke: .364/.439/.676, 17 HR, 51 RBI
Dylan Dreiling: .330/.450/.703, 19 HR, 63 RBI
Kavares Tears: .338/.447/.662, 18 HR, 53 RBI
The Vols get huge production 1-9 of this lineup and don’t really have any chinks in the armor. Having said that, no team in this sport is invincible.
The Evansville Purple Aces flash a solid 1-2 punch in the rotation with Shane Harris and Kenton Deverman, who put together very solid starts in the regional. While the bullpen is nothing to write home about, either of these guys have the stuff and control to limit damage and pump out a quality start. These guys are true pitchers, not going to blow away hitters but eat quality innings and limit damage. Not to mention, their entire rotation has over 70 IP.
Shane Harris: 8-6, 3.63 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 72 IP, 68K/29BB, .243 B/AVG
Kenton Deverman: 9-1, 3.81 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 106.1 IP, 81K/20BB, .259 B/AVG
The offense is a lot of fun, and for them to make a run, they may have to win some barnburners. Slashing .301/.410/.509 as a team with 7/9 qualified hitters hitting over .290. Headlined by some big sluggers, Mark Shallenberger, who belted 2 bombs and 6 RBI in the Greenville Regional. Protected by Kip Fougerousse, who blasted 4 HR and 7 RBI in the regional. This club, like many mid-majors, has tons of age. When programs aren’t pumping out draft picks, especially with the shortened draft, many of these guys will be suiting up for the last time. And from personal experience, that motivation goes a long way.
Mark Shallenberger: .390/.528/.719, 17 HR, 63 RBI
Kip Fougerousse: .350/.431/.681, 21 HR, 66 RBI
We’ll be looking at a very similar situation to their regional, this is an experienced team who just got their first taste of blood in a college baseball postseason. This will be their first Super Regional appearance in program history, and I expect them to show up for all three games. Everything in this set will be earned, and Tennessee can’t overlook this group. I won’t be surprised if this series goes 3 games, but I can’t say I have a ton of faith in my darlings to take this series in Rocky Top. It’s clear that a home environment doesn’t rattle them, as the Jungle is one of the best in the country, but the Vols are a different beast of a club.
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