NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: #1 TENNESSEE BASEBALL WINS 2024 MCWS
~ from UTAD
OMAHA, Neb. – The 2024 Tennessee baseball team made history Monday night in Omaha – winning the program’s first national title with a 6-5 game three victory over No. 3 Texas A&M at the Men’s College World Series at Charles Schwab Field.
The top-ranked Vols won 60 games en route to the program’s MCWS crown – the first SEC team in history to reach 60 victories in a single season and just the fourth conference team to win the SEC regular season title, SEC Tournament title and the MCWS in the same season.
Tennessee also made history as it became the second No. 1 overall seed to win a national title since the tournament switched to its current format in 1999 – joining Miami who did so in 1999.
With the Vols’ first baseball national title, Tennessee claimed its 24th team national championship (all sports) and its first since 2009.
Holding a two-run lead in the seventh inning, MCWS MVP Dylan Dreiling hit a two-run bomb that sparked a three-run half-inning – giving Tennessee the insurance it needed to win college baseball’s final game of the season.
Dreiling – a Hays, Kansas, native – was named the series MVP after going 7-for-12 with four runs scored and seven RBIs in the championship series. The sophomore homered in each game of the MCWS finals – the first player to ever do so.
Redshirt sophomore Kavares Tears smoked a double off the wall in center to score Hunter Ensley who deftly juked the Aggies’ catcher on a play at the plate to tag home plate for UT’s third run in the seventh and sixth of the game.
Texas A&M made a late charge in the eighth as it scored a pair of runs off two singles and a double. Kirby Connell came on to pitch in relief of Dylan Loy and promptly shut down the rally – ending the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
In the ninth, A&M scratched across two more runs before Aaron Combs struck out Ted Burton to end the game and send Tennessee into a dogpile.
Christian Moore – Tennessee’s all-time home runs leader – opened game three with a leadoff home run. He is the second player to hit a leadoff home run in the championship game, joining Danny Higgins (LSU 1997).
The Aggies tied the ballgame with an RBI single from Gavin Grahovac in the top third before Tennessee retook the lead in the home half of the frame thanks to a Dreiling sacrifice fly and a Dean Curley single to left.
Zander Sechrist took the bump as Tennessee’s game-three starter, tossing 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts, one walk and one run allowed. Sechrist picked up the win – his sixth of the year – in his final outing as a Tennessee Volunteer.
Nate Snead came on in relief in the sixth and pitched 1.2 frames – allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout and a walk. Dylan Loy relieved Snead in the eighth, getting one out before Connell took over and picked up the final two outs in the inning.
Combs closed out the night and earned his sixth save of the year as he pitched the ninth inning.
Texas A&M started Justin Lamkin on the hill who threw 2.2 innings. The lefty gave up three runs on five hits before giving way to Josh Stewart in the third. Lamkin took the loss to finish 3-3 on the year.
Stewart lasted 2.1 frames and held UT off the board – allowing just two hits. Evan Aschenbeck finished out the night for the Aggies, tossing the final 3.0 innings. Tennessee got to Aschenbeck, scoring three runs on six hits off the right-hander.
