How June 4th has become a very special day for Tennessee Vols baseball
June 4th isn't a national holiday. It isn't Tony Vitello's birthday. The date isn't even the day of a championship. Regardless, it is clear that Tennessee Vols baseball loves to play on this date. Why? On June 4th, 2021, Vols outfielder Drew Gilbert created one of the greatest memories in the history of Tennessee baseball. […]
June 4th isn't a national holiday. It isn't Tony Vitello's birthday. The date isn't even the day of a championship. Regardless, it is clear that Tennessee Vols baseball loves to play on this date.
Why?
On June 4th, 2021, Vols outfielder Drew Gilbert created one of the greatest memories in the history of Tennessee baseball. Gilbert destroyed a baseball for a walk-off home run against Wright State. It was the first game for the Vols in their regional, and they were on the brink of disaster. Losing the first game of regionals spells an extremely difficult run to super regionals. Luckily, Gilbert prevented that task for the Vols.
Tennessee went on to beat Liberty twice to advance to supers. They beat LSU in two straight games to advance to the CWS in Omaha. The Vols didn't accomplish what they wanted to there, but it clearly set a precedent for Vols baseball. They were well on their way to sustained success under head coach Tony Vitello.
On June 4th, 2022, Drew Gilbert did that clutch thing again. Down 4-3 in the 5th to Campbell, Gilbert demolished a curveball to give the Vols a 6-4 lead. Tennessee never looked back and won 12-7.
In turn, that gave them a spot in the Knoxville regional championship game. They defeated Georgia Tech 9-6 to earn a spot in super regionals.
So, once again, Gilbert and the Vols got a huge comeback win on June 4th. Now, they look to accomplish what they came up short of last season. They won the SEC regular season title, conference tournament, and were ranked #1 in the country for much of the season. The Vols have everything they want ahead of them. They play relentless baseball with one of the most impressive rosters in recent college baseball history.
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