Recent stat illustrates a late-game advantage the Tennessee Vols hold with NCAA tournament set to begin
The Tennessee Volunteers have been strong on the mound this season. Even without starter A.J. Russell for most of the season, the Vols still found a way to roll through to their second regular season and tournament title sweep in three years thanks largely to their pitching. Pitching coach Frank Anderson has done yeoman's work […]
The Tennessee Volunteers have been strong on the mound this season. Even without starter A.J. Russell for most of the season, the Vols still found a way to roll through to their second regular season and tournament title sweep in three years thanks largely to their pitching.
Pitching coach Frank Anderson has done yeoman's work this year, with the team ERA coming in at 3.83. That's fourth best in the nation and second best among Power Five schools, with only Arkansas above them.
However, the Vols have been particularly effective on the back end, especially recently, and that includes flamethrower Aaron Snead. With the exception of a hiccup against Vanderbilt back on May 22 in a game he started, the hard-throwing righty has been strong for the Vols out of the bullpen.
According to D1 Baseball, out of all pitchers across the country who threw during conference tournament weekend, Snead threw thew fastest pitch out of all of them at 101 miles per hour.
The Vols are no strangers to having guys who can break into triple digits on the gun. Ben Joyce, now with the Los Angeles Angels' organization, threw at 100+ mph regularly with the Vols back in 2022, with his top speed coming at 105.5 mph. Chase Burns, now with Wake Forest, also topped out at triple digits.
As such, the Vols have had guys in recent years they could bring out of the bullpen in in a pinch late to add another gear to the radar gun. They appear to have that this year in Snead.
Snead, who got the save back on May 24 in the SEC tournament against Mississippi State, came to Tennessee this past offseason after his freshman year at Wichita State. So far this season, the sophomore from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin has posted a 3.26 ERA in 60.2 innings with 52 strikeouts to 18 walks.
Between Snead, Aaron Combs – who closed down LSU in the ninth to win the SEC tourney title – and Kirby Connell, the Vols have a number of options who they can turn to in crunch time. All three bring a vastly different arsenal. However, if the Vols need some gas, it's clear who Tony Vitello needs to hand the ball to this weekend.
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