D1 baseball - teams on the upswing

BASEVOLS MAY BE BACK!

From D1 Baseball.com,

On The Upswing: Teams That Raised Profiles

Tennessee

The Volunteers are off to a 5-1 start against a solid schedule — but the way they have won those games really stands out. After taking two of three from Memphis last weekend, Tennessee bludgeoned three quality mid-major opponents in Phoenix this weekend, putting up 25 runs against WAC favorite Grand Canyon, 20 against MAC contender Central Michigan, and topping WCC favorite St. Mary’s 6-3. Tennessee’s offensive explosion is a considerable surprise — the Vols ranked 210th in the nation in batting and 235th in scoring last year, and they lost three of last year’s best hitters in Christin Stewart, Andrew Lee and A.J. Simcox. But after six games this year, Tennessee ranks fifth in the nation in batting (.361) and scoring (12 runs per game).

Leading the way is red-hot senior infielder Jeff Moberg, who’s batting a blistering .556 (15-for-27), and senior outfielder Vincent Jackson (who’s hitting .474/.600/.947 with a team-best three home runs). Jackson was a big-name recruit four years ago, and we’ve been waiting for him to tap into the raw home run power in his big frame for a while now, but it looks like he’s figuring it out. The Vols expected Chris Hall to make a big impact as a table-setter last year, but he got off to a miserable start and never recovered. Now he’s doing what Tennessee always thought he could — providing a real spark in the No. 2 hole. Hall is batting .455/.536/.591, as he and Moberg have done an incredible job getting on base ahead of preseason All-American Nick Senzel (.440/.563/.600, a team best 15 RBIs) and Jackson. This lineup has legitimate talent, and so far, it looks like they are playing up to their capabilities.