Aaron Combs clinched two Tennessee Vols championships in the same filthy way
Aaron Combs is just nasty. And that applies in more than one way. The redshirt junior righty from Sarasota has one of the sport's most disgusting curveballs. And he's got the dog mindset to handle the most stressful situations in the sport. Both were on display on Monday night in the Vols' 6-5 win over […]
Aaron Combs is just nasty. And that applies in more than one way. The redshirt junior righty from Sarasota has one of the sport's most disgusting curveballs. And he's got the dog mindset to handle the most stressful situations in the sport.
Both were on display on Monday night in the Vols' 6-5 win over the Texas A&M Aggies in Game Three of the College World Series championship series. Having been a key part of Tennessee's Game Two win over the Aggies on Sunday with four shutout innings, it wasn't clear if the 6'3" righty would be available on Monday night.
However, with the Vols leading 6-3 in the ninth, Combs took the ball. Graham Grahovac lined a double to left. Then, Combs challenged Jace LaViolette with a high fastball on a full count, which the latter missed. After a wild pitch and a single, Combs mowed down Hayden Schott with a curveball for the second out.
A balk and wild pitch brought home A&M's fifth run, but at that point, the Vols were just a strike away. And you probably knew what pitch was coming.
For those who thought this felt familiar, well, it was the same player and the same pitch that brought home the SEC tournament title for the Vols back on May 26.
With the Vols leading 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with one out and the tying run on first base for LSU with a full count, Combs threw the hook, and the LSU hitter whiffed. Against the following batter, Combs let the big bender fly again with two strikes. Swing. Miss. Championship.
Combs' curveball has been perhaps the most devastating pitch in Tennessee's pitching arsenal this season. While the Vols have Nate Snead who can run it up close to 100 mph, they don't have Ben Joyce on the back end. They don't have Chase Burns to put in late like they did last year. The elite shutdown options as far as arm talent weren't there.
But when you have a guy with this mindset in a knee-knocking pressure-packed situation with the national championship on the line, that really doesn't matter.
The story of the season for this Tennessee team was the bats. The home runs, the power, the deep lineup. But when it came down to it, it was clutch pitching (and some timely hitting) when the Vols had to have it that helped secure the team's first title in program history.
And it was the big breaker from #28 that closed the door. As if it was ever going to be any other way for this team.
