Cain: Tennessee fans dominated Sunday night, just like the Vols they were watching  

I’ve covered a lot of games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Maybe not as many as some of my peers who also do this for a living, but between Volquest and helping out with the Vol Radio Network, I’ve spent many a nights in that press box watching Tennessee baseball.

Sunday night’s environment was one of the best it’s ever been, certainly in the Tony Vitello era and likely in program history. The Vols defeated Evansville 12-1 in the decisive game three of the Knoxville Super Regional, punching their ticket back to the College World Series.

“Congrats to our fans for sure,” the skipper said to open his postgame press conference Sunday night. “I mean, cheering pickoffs and definitely the loudest that it’s ever been in here.”

It was loud. It was relentless and it never gave up. The 6,489 fans who were lucky enough to grab a ticket to the sold out event never let up. They never sat down. It was hell for the opponent for nine innings and it was passion and praise for the home team every step of the way.

“I think tonight was one of the craziest environments I’ve ever played in. Not only at home but in all the stadiums I’ve ever been to in general,” outfielder Hunter Ensley told Volquest. “It was a big factor tonight. The energy when they walked in the building – it definitely helped us a lot. Them being here tonight – just kudos to them.”

Several times throughout the ballgame, the fans got the ‘Let’s go C-Mo,’ chant a brewin’. Sometimes it was a simple ‘Let’s Go Vols,’ or a fan favorite of late, ‘C-A-L, Cal, Cal , Cal,’ for catcher Cal Stark when he comes up to the plate. All those were great, but the ‘ZANDER’ chants might have been the loudest. Deservingly so, as lefty Zander Sechrist was dynamite on Sunday.

“I think this was one of the loudest crowds I’ve ever been a part of since I’ve been here,” the winning pitcher said postgame. “We had Gourmet Market this morning – we kind of were joking, ‘What if we played this game tonight in Neyland Stadium?’ We were like, ‘Could we sell it out?’ Some people were like, ‘No, we will only get like 20,000.’ Some people were like, ‘Yeah we could sell it out.’ And some people were like, ‘I don’t know Jim, maybe like 90,000.’

“But overall the crowd was great and I’m so glad that even though we gave up a run in the first, the energy was still there and then CMO (Christian Moore) leads off the bottom half with the homer and I go back out there, basically 0-0, I put up a zero and then we scored four in the bottom of the second. It was unreal.”

Another Tennessee player referenced the football comparison as Lindsey Nelson Stadium got pretty loud at times.

“It felt like a football game almost – like being down on the field for a football game. It was a great feeling,” freshman shortstop Dean Curley told VQ after the game. “It is huge. You can tell they [Evansville] didn’t know how to react to it at first. We have been in that situation and handled it well. It worked out in our favor.”

It might not have been as loud as it was after Drew Gilbert’s epic walk off over Wright State in 2021, but the fans who packed the stands at Robert M. Lindsey Field Sunday night deserve a lot of praise. Sure, there was a lot to cheer about, but it was from the onset and it never let up.

It makes a difference. Just ask the players.

“From the first pitch and all the way until the last, the crowd was in it the whole time,” pitcher Nate Snead recalled right after the game, walking to sign autographs. “We were definitely behind it and I think it helped us a lot more than anyone would really think. It was fun.”

Next season, Lindsey Nelson Stadium will look different. Construction crews will start making their way over tot he field – well, I guess more construction crews – and this stadium will be receiving some much needed TLC it was neglected over the years. Things might look different, and there will definitely be even more room for fans as capacity will raise, but this home field advantage won’t be going away.

Tennessee fans are loving their baseball right now. Can’t say I blame them. It certainly showed Sunday night. Congrats to you all.

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