KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 2021 Tennessee baseball team was the first Vols squad in 16 years to make it to the College World Series, but the thing that the guys remember most is how quickly it was all over.
"We weren't there that long, sad to say," former Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert said.
The team went 0-2, losing to Virginia and Texas, and did not make it out of the first round. That just wasn't good enough.
"The goal wasn't just to get there, the goal was to win," former Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck said.
"It's like, all you've thought about was just getting there, and that's just a subconscious thing," Gilbert said. "Once you flip the switch like, 'Alright, now we're here, we have to go win,' it's hard to truly flip that switch."
Only five players on the current Tennessee team in the 2023 College World Series got game time during the 2021 season. Beck and Gilbert's main advice to those guys was that getting to Omaha is just the beginning.
"I think a lot of teams can get caught up in the experience of Omaha," Gilbert said. "I think the best way to get the experience of Omaha is to stay there longer. The way you do that is to win games."
"You don't want to go in thinking it's a consolation prize no matter what happens," Beck said. "You don't get a trophy for being the eighth-best team in the country, so hopefully this year's team can get it done and bring Tennessee a national championship."
The VFL's feel like one of the team's greatest strengths in 2023 is that they've been battle-tested all year.
"There's nothing that can really shake them at this point," Gilbert said. "They've been through the lowest of lows and right now they're hopefully going to experience the highest of highs."
Tennessee begins the 2023 College World Series with a matchup against LSU on Saturday, June 17 at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on ESPN.
