Notre Dame just did the worst possible thing before matchup with Tennessee Vols baseball
Guts or greed? That is one way to describe the comments from Notre Dame LF Ryan Cole yesterday about their upcoming Super Regional series against the Tennessee Vols. The Vols come in as the clear favorite to win the College World Series. Clearly, the Irish have plenty of confidence in their squad, though. Now, it […]
Guts or greed? That is one way to describe the comments from Notre Dame LF Ryan Cole yesterday about their upcoming Super Regional series against the Tennessee Vols. The Vols come in as the clear favorite to win the College World Series. Clearly, the Irish have plenty of confidence in their squad, though.
Now, it isn't newsworthy for a team or player to be confident. That's to be expected, and Notre Dame is playing some really good baseball. They probably deserved to host a regional, but they won theirs anyway.
On the other hand, for a player to make a comment like this that many would consider "bulletin board material" is intriguing. You also have to consider the opponent. The Vols are one of the most emotional, demonstrative teams in college baseball. Giving them any added motivation may not be particularly smart, but it certainly makes the series even more entertaining.
I don't believe any team scares Tennessee. That's just the personality that the Vols have built over the past couple of seasons. For better or worse, they have confidence in any matchup. That has definitely worked out for them this season considering their consistent success.
Why should anyone intimidate them until they prove that they can beat the Vols?
Alas, college baseball needs this type of energy. The storylines make matchups like this where there aren't many previous ties of rivalry to cling to so much better.
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