Nichols: In Clover Crushing, Tennessee Gives Itself — and Drew Gilbert — At Least One More Shot

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tony Vitello had a tough conversation with Drew Gilbert before Game 2 between Tennessee and Notre Dame.

After the Vols’ pregame meal, he had to remind Gilbert — who was ejected on Friday and had to miss Saturday’s game too as a result — that he couldn’t be on the premises any longer.

“That was fun,” said Vitello. “I got the look I imagine a lot of our opponents have gotten."

Had either of them known what was ahead on Saturday, that conversation might not have been as enjoyable.

And Gilbert’s look, rather than being a simple dagger-eyed glare, may have shot actual lasers through the MVP Room inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Because Gilbert didn’t just miss a Tennessee win, which brought the Vols off the mat in their Super Regional against Notre Dame. 

He also missed a moment he probably would have enjoyed — when Mike Honcho swung his way into a full Rob Gronkowski touchdown celebration.

After hammering a three-run shot in the fifth inning against Notre Dame, Jordan Beck strutted out of the batter’s box, spiked his bat on the turf — so intensely, by the way, that it bounced shoulder-high — and screamed toward Tennessee’s dugout.

It didn’t matter that neither Gilbert nor pitching coach Frank Anderson were there to yell back — the Vols were far from done.

Evan Russell slammed a solo shot for a 6-0 lead and the 39th home run of his career, passing Todd Helton to become the new home run leader at Tennessee.

Then, Luc Lipcius — who had led off the inning with a home run for a 2-0 advantage and the 38th home run of his career — went yard again to tie himself with Russell.

"Pretty cool a couple old guys are at the top,” quipped Lipcius afterward.

Old guys or not, Tennessee dominated. Eight runs. Seven hits. One long fifth inning.

Round and round and round they went, the Vols hitting homers and the Irish having no answer in a 12-4, clover-crushing onslaught — that was never as close as the final score showed, by the way — to force a pivotal Game 3 with a College World Series berth on the line.

Notre Dame started its ace, John Michael Bertrand. And he was annihilated.

Tennessee subbed Seth Stephenson for Gilbert in center. And Stephenson was great.

But he wasn’t any better on offense than Chase Dollander was on defense. The Georgia Southern transfer — who commended Anderson last week, yet thrived even without him Saturday — was brilliant for a full 112 pitches in seven innings with five strikeouts and only two earned runs.

"My mindset was the same it's been all season,” Dollander said. “Throw strikes and give the offense a chance to do what they do."

Consider that part done.

Up next? What should be a raucous Game 3 between Tennessee and Notre Dame, the winner set to go to Omaha.

Near the end of Saturday’s UT win, a four-syllable chant broke out: “FREE DREW GIL-BERT! FREE DREW GIL-BERT!”

The Vols’ student section was loud and proud on Saturday, just as it was on Friday.

But when Gilbert digs into the batter’s box on Sunday, expect that noise to rival the one that would accompany an actual Gronk spike — after a game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.

"I think the crowd is going to go berserk when Drew Gilbert gets that first AB tomorrow,” said Lipcius, who added that the Vols “do it for (Gilbert)” and “want to see him play again.”

Perhaps no one will be more excited on Sunday, though, than Vitello himself.

Not just with the type of giddiness he felt on Saturday when he was tasked with telling Gilbert to leave.

But because, for at least one more day, Vitello will get to watch Gilbert — his on-field twin — play baseball in a Tennessee uniform.

“Write whatever you want,” Vitello said on the subject. “I can't put it into words."

Cover photo via Jake Nichols