Tennessee Wins MCWS Title, And The SEC Is Still On (Rocky) Top
The College World Series concluded Monday night; the Tennessee Volunteers went up against Texas A&M in the three-game championship series. Both teams were looking to bring home their first baseball title. Unfortunately for the Aggies, the Vols prevailed in a 5-6 victory over their fellow SEC opponent. But A&M did not go down without a fight. They took game one of the series with a 9-5 win over the Big Orange, but the number one offense in the nation does not scare easily. Tennessee got the 4-1 dub in game two, and that brings us back to Monday night for game three.
MCWS Title game
That championship game was one for the books. In the bottom of the first UT’s Christian Moore put the first run on the board with a solo homer to left field to give the Vols an early 1-0 lead. Sophomore Dylan Dreiling was clutch as usual for Tennessee. The left fielder knocked down a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. That home run gave Dreiling at least one hit out of the park in all three games of the title series. He was named CWS Most Outstanding Player.
Just when you thought this game could not get any more exciting, Hunter Ensley said “Hold my beer.” Still in the bottom of the seventh, Ensley singled to first. Kavares Tears was on deck for the Orange. He hit one deep to right-center for a double. Ensley rounded the bases from first.
An impressive throw from shortstop Ali Camarillo to catcher Jackson Appeal should have gotten Ensley out at home plate, but the red-shirt junior dodged the tag with an excellent dive and was safe at home. That insane play got the Vols fans rowdier than they already were and helped UT seal the victory.
Feels like ‘99
This is the first time a number one seed has won the CWS since 1999 when the University of Miami beat Florida State 6-5. Speaking of 1999, that was also the last time the men of Tennessee had won a championship, just on a different field.
Peyton Manning and the Vols took on Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl in 1999, and they got the 23-16 win to cap off their undefeated season (‘99 sure was a rough year for Florida State.) It’s a good thing we are not here to talk about the ACC.
The Dominant SEC
The Southeastern Conference is not only familiar with making it to CWS, but they are quite familiar with winning it all. This makes the fifth consecutive title that the SEC has taken home. The trend started with Vanderbilt back in 2019.
Mississippi State stole the show in 2021, followed by their in-state counterparts, Ole Miss in 2022. LSU had an incredible run in 2023 to bring the chip back to Baton Rouge since 2009, and finally, Tennessee has one of its own.
Here is the big question. Can the Southeastern Conference keep up this dominance? Well, there will be some new faces in the SEC. On July 1, 2024, Oklahoma and Texas are saying goodbye to the Big 12 and coming down south. This addition will only make the conference stronger in the years to come.
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