By thumping Tennessee baseball, Tim Corbin tapped a few shoulders about Vanderbilt | Estes

Well, that turned quickly, huh? There's a winning streak in the other dugout now.

One. Two. That’s how many Vanderbilt baseball has claimed in a row over rival Tennessee after Wednesday’s 13-4 drubbing at the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

It was massive result to bolster Vanderbilt’s shaky NCAA Tournament hopes, no matter the opponent. But this opponent, of course, mattered plenty. Until 10 days ago, Tennessee had beaten Vanderbilt nine times in a row. Tony Vitello’s Vols went to Omaha last year. They were the No. 1 national seed in 2022. They are the nation’s No. 1 team right now.

Commodores coach Tim Corbin didn’t downplay Tennessee’s success Wednesday when asked about the rivalry. He just gave everyone a little tap on shoulder.

The Vandy Boys are still around, too.

“I know our kids respect Tennessee and their program,” Corbin told reporters. “There's no doubt about that. We talk about that. But what you can't do is start admiring people you play. We've got a good program, too. Real good program.”

About our state’s best college sports rivalry, we should note the thing has felt downright chummy lately.

When the Vols (46-11) needed Kentucky to lose last Saturday to provide them a share of the SEC championship, guess who did them that solid? Vanderbilt, on the road, beat Kentucky. Then on Wednesday at the SEC Tournament, the Vols – of all teams – likely, and unwittingly, ensured the Commodores (37-20) wouldn’t miss this season’s NCAA Tournament after all.

For Vanderbilt, it’s tough to imagine a more impressive, last-minute NCAA resume victory than dealing Tennessee its worst beating in nearly two months.

It has been difficult to envision such a showy win, period, for the Commodores during what has thus far been a disappointing season.

But that was the pre-Hoover Met portion of their schedule.

For two years in a row, the Vandy Boys have discovered their best selves in the suburban Birmingham stadium. After winning last season’s SEC Tournament, they’ve opened this one a critical 2-for-2 when they most needed it, arriving on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

They’ve looked a different ballclub in Hoover. A lineup that struggled mightily to find production and power this season launched four home runs Wednesday out of a cavernous ballpark. Alan Espinal slugged two. The Commodores finished with 15 hits and scored more runs than in any of their last 19 games against an SEC foe.

Didn’t slow the fire that Tennessee threw eight different pitchers at it. Not to say the Vols weren’t trying to win – their batting order was stacked as usual – but Vitello's Johnny Wholestaff approach was more reminiscent of a midweek game versus Eastern Tech than a collision with his program’s biggest rival.

“A bad result,” Vitello told reporters, “but as I look at the box score, it was good to get a lot of guys get their cleats in the dirt in a situation that might be new to them or certainly is new to our group this year.”

Of the Vols eight pitchers, only two didn’t allow a run. One of those two was AJ Russell, Tennessee’s 6-foot-6 expected ace from Franklin, who has been hurt most of this season and hadn’t pitched since March 23. No victory the Vols could get this week would be more important than the sight of Russell returning to the mound for an inning and looking reasonable sharp, striking out two.

Other than that, there was nothing for Tennessee to gain in Hoover this week. Pursuits bristle to hear that sort of thing, but it’s true. A deep SEC Tournament run, exhausting an already thin pitching staff, would hinder Tennessee’s chances in the tournament that really matters.

Getting Russell back? A big deal for this bullpen.

Tennessee is going to need Russell in the coming weeks, a reality that was underlined by how so many other Vols arms struggled to keep the Commodores off the basepaths Wednesday.

Vanderbilt hit .375 for the game and .450 with runners on base. Tennessee, in turn, was .143 with runners on base. Relief pitchers Luke Guth and Miller Green, both freshmen, held a terrifying Vols lineup scoreless for the game’s final five innings, recording some big outs before the game got lopsided late.

“Getting hot at the right time is always good,” Vanderbilt’s Jonathan Vastine said. “I think that we only have our best baseball ahead of us.”

Better late than never, it would seem.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: By thumping Tennessee, Tim Corbin tapped on shoulders about Vanderbilt