What we learned about Tennessee baseball pitching in series loss vs Kentucky

It was also a carryover for the team the day before when four Tennessee relievers allowed six runs in two-plus innings, allowing Kentucky to run-rule the Vols in eight innings.

“The ‘pen was not good, period,” Elander said on May 2. “We didn't throw strikes, hit batters, walks, and then barrels over the plate.”

Encouraging start from Landon Mack

Although the bullpen struggled, Mack provided a major boost on May 3. He shut down the Kentucky lineup, giving up one run and six hits in six innings.

“He was phenomenal,” Elander said. “He did everything we asked him to. Made a few adjustments to make sure that his glove was covered up and attacking the strike zone. Worked around some traffic in the first, but just throwing strikes and had all the pitches going today.”

Mack’s strong start wasn’t only promising because of the team stakes, but also for him personally. After consecutive shaky outings, most recently giving up five runs in less than three innings against Alabama on April 23, Mack was bumped from the Friday starter role he held for four weeks. He responded with his best showing in a month, which could be a building block for a strong finish for the Rutgers transfer.

“I mean, he's a difference-maker when he's locked in, and he needs to take a lot of confidence from that coming down the stretch because we're going to need him,” added Elander.

SEC Tournament bye slipping out of reach

The Vols remain a likely NCAA Tournament team, but losing the series won’t help their case as they position for the SEC Tournament. The top eight seeds earn byes, and if the regular season ended today, Tennessee would be on the outside by multiple games.

The Vols will need to win both of their final two SEC series against No. 4 Texas and No. 15 Oklahoma to avoid playing on the first day of the tournament, likely needing at least one sweep against two of the six highest-ranked teams in the conference if the teams ahead perform. It’s a tall task for Tennessee, which hasn’t won consecutive SEC series this season.

Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball has tough path to SEC bye after series vs Kentucky