The last time Tony Vitello was in Fayetteville with his Tennessee baseball team, he and Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, his former boss, had an animated exchange.
Both coaches have demurred when asked about it, but two years later, it remains in both fan bases’ minds.
That happens when both teams are the level that they are. The Diamond Hogs enter the weekend as the No. 6 team in the land. Tennessee isn’t far behind at No. 12. Two seasons ago, it was Arkansas who spent practically the entire year as the top-ranked team in the land before falling in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Volunteers had the same fate.
This season, Arkansas sits atop the SEC West at 8-4, while Tennessee is fourth in the East at 5-7. Those records can largely be ignored, especially as Vitello is mixing things up on the mound.
Andrew Lindsey is set to go for the Vols on Friday. He hasn’t started a game since 2021 when he was Charlotte and he’s never started a game in the SEC. It’s an unexpected change considering Tennessee returned its entire weekend staff from last year. But UT starters have a 6.67 earned-run average in league play this year.
Pitching has been a modest weakness for Arkansas, too, as the Diamond Hogs. Their staff has an ERA of 5.59 in SEC play.
A sweep by either team seems unlikely, but pulling one would certainly vault the winning club into assured “hosting” position in the NCAA Tournament projections.
In other words, a lot is on line, even if it’s only halfway through the league season.
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