BGN Exclusive: Q&A with Ryan Sylvia from VolReport

Ryan Sylvia from VolReport breaks down what Golden Eagle fans can expect out of the Volunteers this weekend.

Heath: Ryan, I know that Tennessee this season didn’t get the best start out of the gate and kind of figured that would be the case with so many guys to replace. At what point of this season did things start to click and what caused that?

Ryan: Yeah, like you said, a lot of turnover. I think this team, at least what Tony Vitello has said in a lot of press conferences, it didn’t really feel like a team at first. It was a lot of new faces and guys didn’t really mesh well. I really think the turning point of the season but towards the midpoint of the year when they lost to Tennessee Tech. This is the second straight year that they’ve dropped that game. But, after that game, they kind of seemed to turn a switch. I don’t if it was a wakeup call – or what exactly you want to call it. But, from there, they seemed more like a “team”. Tony Vitello talked about that fact that they now have these traditions in the dugout and these rituals they do every game. And so I think it was that loss to Tennessee Tech, for whatever reason, that really woke this team up. From there, they started to take that next step to becoming a true contender.

Heath: This Tennessee team of course is so much different from last season. Can you explain maybe the differences in the way they go about their business? How different are the two teams?

Ryan: There’s gonna be differences and there’s also gonna be similarities. I think any team under Tony Vitello is gonna have a lot personality and they’re gonna be expressive on the field. But I think this one is kind of more laid back than last year’s team. Of course, last year, you were the number one team in the country throughout the entire season and all eyes are on you. So everyone knows all the stuff they were doing. I think this year’s team is kind of a more laid back – they still have a lot of those fiery personalities in guys like Christian Moore. But it is a team that kind of – it’s not as energetic. They still get fired up. You saw it in the Clemson game in the regional. When Zane Denton hits his home run they’re fired up and started to look a little bit like last year’s team. But, off the field, I think that’s it’s a team that is more relaxed in some senses.

Heath: Do you think that this Tennessee team is suited better to not have that mark on their back or not be as highly rated as they were last year?

Ryan: I think it is kind of interesting that there is a lot of turnover from last year’s team to this year. A lot of those faces are new faces. So I feel like this year’s team kind of “ate it” because of last year’s team if that makes sense. I feel like some team’s still have that target on Tennessee’s back even though its not necessarily the same players. They still kind of wanted to take it to Tennessee for how Tennessee beat them last year and the hard feelings they had. I feel like they only helped the Vols this year. I feel like they got through that at the end of the year in losses to Missouri. Then you go on and you lose to LSU, and you lose to Florida, and you lose to Arkansas, and some of these other series where they’re maybe trying to get some of that revenge. But I feel like that kind of helped them at the later part of the year. When you’ve had that target on your back, you kind of know how to play when things get rough. You’ve been through the adversity. I feel like the personalities in the clubhouse that are a little bit more laid back let them take a deeper breath and get together. Like I said, after Tennessee Tech, they were able to get together as a team and push forward.

Heath: A question a lot of BigGoldNation members have: Tennessee has a lot of guys on the staff that are big league arms – a lot of guys that throw mid-to-high 90s. Would you consider this to be a more pitching-centric team? Or more of an offensive team? In the regional, it seemed like the defense and pitching carried, where as last seson it was, “Let’s throw up 16 or 17 runs.” Is that a fair statement?

Ryan: Yeah, I think this year’s offense definitely took a step back. Of course, when you lose 8 out of your 9 batters in the lineup, you’re going to take a step back in production. But I definitely think the strength is the pitching. The defense, honestly, at the beginning of the year and somewhat in the middle of the season, was pretty weak. The defensive effort was not always there. There were a lot of errors that ended up being costly. But as the season has gone on, that defense has really improved. But the pitching is what keeps Tennessee in a lot of games. Not only do you have three dynamic starters who are at an elite level in Andrew Lindsey, Chase Dollander, and Drew Beam, but the guys coming out of the bullpen are at the highest level of pitching you can get in college baseball. Of course, Chase Burns is gonna be the headliner touching 100 on his fastball. Started the season as a starter but moved back into the bullpen where he started to settle in and really find his own again. But you also have guys like AJ Russell, a true freshman, who statistically is the best pitcher on team if you’re looking at ERA, WHIP, and a couple of other statistics. You also have guys like Seth Halverson who can come in and pitch a handful of innings when things get rough and shut down another team. Then you have guys like Camden Sewell who can go a deep distance as well, like Chase Burns. So, I think that that pitching is really important. Especially because, you can have shut down closers that can pitch an inning and get you through it. But Tennessee has a lot of guys in that bullpen who can pitch 5 innings and reach 70-80 pitches sometimes. And that’s really important, because let’s you knock out Tennessee’s starter in the third inning, that doesn’t mean you’re gonna be able to ruin their bullpen for the rest of the series. Because they have some guys who can come in and act like a second starter. So, I think that consistency on the pitching staff is Tennessee’s strength, but when the bats are on they win games like that as well.

Heath: Last question for you. I know that Tennessee has struggled on the road some this year. Southern Miss is 26-5 at home. But, you guys went to Clemson and won the regional. Do you think you might have fixed the road woes at that regional? Do you think that turned a corner for the team?

Ryan: Yeah, I think at the end of the year they started to turn that corner on the road. It’s interesting because a lot of teams under Tony Vitello in the past have been really good on the road and that road atmosphere hasn’t bothered them. If anything, it almost fired them up to play at an even higher level. But this year, to start the season it was really bad. I think the turning point for them was going to Georgia on the road where they lost the series 1-2. But after the series when you’re talking to the players, they didn’t seem stressed out at all that they lost the series. They honestly took it as a positive. In their mind, they played good baseball. They just got beat. But it felt like the first time in the season they were able to go on the road and play good baseball. And so that turned into a win to close out the season against South Carolina, winning 2 out of 3, and once they kind of saw that they can win a road series, I think that turned a little bit of switch for them. Then, as you said, you go on the road to Clemson – that’s one of the best environments in college baseball. That place was packed. It was rowdy. It was loud. You’re backs were against the wall and it didn’t seem to phase them. So, I think that, although the road record looks bad, I think that’s a much better road team this season than it was to begin.