The Tennessee Volunteers baseball program has been on a tear this season in general but most notably on the offensive side of things. The team is 41-4 overall but on Tuesday night the offense did something extraordinary, something that has never been done before within this program’s rich history by breaking the program’s home run record.
In beating up Alabama A&M 14-1, UT hit five long balls giving them a total of 108 home runs on the year surpassing the previous mark of 107 which was set in 1998 and it took 56 games to reach that number. This team has played 45 and has 11 games still yet to play this regular season.
PROGRAM. RECORD.
Steenstra with a 🚀 to left and Tennessee has hit its 108th home run of the year, breaking the program record.
📺 https://t.co/HiU1Y2MgqE#GBO // #OTH pic.twitter.com/4mBwbp1IqT
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 4, 2022
What has led to this offensive power surge? Head coach Tony Vitello spoke with the media after the game Tuesday and offered this explanation.
“I think a little bit because of the work in the weight room and cages. I’d say the other combo in that whole deal is having good athletes and we’re blessed with guys if you ask them to do something they can make the adjustment relatively quickly. … We have good facilities and a bunch of coaches who are willing to help the kids so repetitions. Father of learning is repetitions or something — somebody smart said something like that — you saw the potential. How many or how few, who knows, but, again, circumstances have a little to do with that.”
How far will the Volunteers push that record-setting number? My guess would be pretty high up there the way the season has gone, the approach these hitters have, and the way they’ve been swinging the bat there’s really no slowing down. All gas, no breaks.
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