OMAHA, Neb. — Color the college baseball world orange.
The Tennessee Volunteers won their first College World Series national championship Monday night, defeating Texas A&M 6-5 before a crowd of 24,685 inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Zander Sechrist concluded his impressive season with another stellar showing on the mound, and Dylan Dreiling’s two-run home run to right field in the seventh inning proved to be the biggest blast, turning a 3-1 lead into a 5-1 advantage.
Dreiling wound up hitting two-run homers in the seventh inning of every game in the best-of-three championship series. Monday’s came at the expense of standout Aggies closer Evan Aschenbeck.
(READ MORE: Hargis: Title drought ends as Vols claim school’s first men’s title since 1998)
“I just treated it like it was any other game, even though it was really special,” Dreiling said.
Tennessee took its largest lead at 6-1 moments after Dreiling’s homer on a Kavares Tears double to center that scored Hunter Ensley.
By rebounding from Saturday night’s 9-5 loss with Sunday afternoon’s 4-1 triumph and Monday night’s win, Tennessee became the first top overall seed to claim the national championship since the 1999 Miami Hurricanes. The Vols are also the first Southeastern Conference program to rack up 60 wins in a single season, finishing the year 60-13.
“We were very fortunate to survive and be the last team standing,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said. “They did it in a lot of different ways in conference play and conference tournament play and in this deal.”
When asked if Tennessee is now the standard in the sport, Vitello said. “Aw (poop), don’t say that, man. Let’s enjoy tonight and understand that we’re in the league where sometimes they get you and sometimes you get them.”
Texas A&M, the No. 3 seed in this year’s 64-team NCAA tournament field, ended its season at 53-15. The Aggies made things interesting in the eighth inning with Hayden Schott’s RBI single up the middle and Caden Sorrell’s RBI double to left-center to pull within 6-3, but veteran Vols relief pitcher Kirby Connell entered and recorded consecutive strikeouts to strand runners at first and second.
Aaron Combs pitched the ninth for Tennessee and gave up a leadoff double down the left-field line to Gavin Grahovac, who scored on a Jackson Appel single to left. Appel advanced to second on catcher’s indifference and to third on a balk before scoring on a wild pitch, but Combs then struck out Ted Burton to end it.
“That was a great effort on the mound,” Vitello said.
Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes, Vols football coach Josh Heupel and legendary Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning were among those in attendance cheering for the Vols, and there was plenty to cheer about. That began with Christian Moore’s homer to left field that opened the bottom of the first inning, which increased Moore’s single-season record total to 34.
“I just got a heater up and in,” Moore said. “They were throwing me in a lot all weekend, and I just got my hands through it and put a good swing on it.”
Barnes, Heupel and Manning were all on the field afterward, with Manning happy to discuss Vitello, the architect of Tennessee’s first national title since the 2009 women’s indoor track & field team.
“I just think he’s created this incredible culture and program, which is hard to do in today’s college landscape,” Manning said. “I’m telling you, it’s hard to do, and he’s done it. Players are coming here to play for him, and they’re playing hard for him. The best compliment you can give a coach is that his players play hard for him, and these guys would take a bullet for Tony Vitello.
“I think that showed tonight in beating a team like Texas A&M, which has been a heck of a team all season. I’m super proud of Tony, and I’m super proud as a Tennessee alum. It’s been a special year for sure.”
Sechrist pitched into the sixth inning, allowing just one run while recording seven strikeouts, and he struck out the side in the fifth inning. He opened brilliantly, retiring the Aggies in order in the first inning, which included a strikeout of Jace LaViolette.
The Vols took a 1-0 lead into the third inning, when Sechrist allowed a one-out bunt single to Travis Chestnut, who reached second on a throwing error by Vols catcher Cal Stark and then stole third.
Gavin Grahovac pulled the Aggies even with a single to left field, but Tennessee went back up 2-1 in its half of the third when Blake Burke led off with a double to center, advanced to third on a Billy Amick ground out and scored on a Dreiling sacrifice fly to center. Ensley and Tears followed the Dreiling sacrifice with singles, which resulted in the end of the night for Aggies starting pitcher Justin Lamkin.
Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle went with Josh Stewart, who threw 56 pitches and got the win during Texas A&M’s victory Friday, but Dean Curley greeted him with a single into left that scored Ensley to make it a 3-1 game.
Tennessee announced after the victory that there will be a parade Tuesday evening at 6:15 in Knoxville, with it starting from the Gay Street Bridge and marching down Gay Street to Wall Avenue.
“I’m so proud of this team and this group of guys,” Moore said. “I knew we could do this. We just had to put it together, and that’s what we did. We were so hungry and determined to do this.
“The last two years, I don’t know if we were mentally ready for it. With this year and this group, we knew.”
Utu commits to Vols
Tennessee picked up its 14th football commitment for the 2025 signing cycle Monday, receiving a nonbinding pledge from offensive lineman Douglas Utu of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.
The 6-foot-4, 317-pounder is the No. 67 overall prospect nationally on the 247Sports.com composite rankings and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman. He is the second highest-rated commitment for the Vols behind Brentwood Academy five-star quarterback George MacIntyre.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.