Monday night of regionals weekend. Do-or-die elimination games under the lights. It’s something you cannot prepare for, but simultaneously something you need to be ready for as a player. For many players, especially the younger ones, it’s the single biggest game of their lives to that point, and the games will only get bigger if you come out on top.
Moments like these reveal a player’s character, their response and what they are truly made of.
Such was the case on Monday night in Knoxville, Tennessee, when the Tennessee Volunteers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons stepped onto the field for the win-or-go-home regional finale to determine who would travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the super regionals.
On a night where some players rose to the occasion to become legends on Rocky Top, one soft-spoken true freshman at the bottom of the Tennessee batting order claimed his place in the spotlight.
Third baseman Manny Marin did not waste a single minute of his time at the plate on Monday, reaching base every time he picked up the bat and hammering in three RBIs for the Vols. Marin made his presence known at Lindsey Nelson Stadium immediately, with a single to load the bases in the third and setting up teammate Gavin Kilen to punch in the Vols’ first score of the game.
By the time Marin came up again, the Vols held a narrow one-run lead and had the opportunity to push it even further with two on base. On the very first pitch he saw, Marin sent it straight into the parking lot in right-center for his third home run of the year and first since early March.
The only way to describe the scene that followed in Lindsey Nelson Stadium is pandemonium. Every single fan was on their feet, screaming for the freshman as he rounded the bases, with Marin screaming right alongside them. Tennessee extended its lead to 6-2 and tacked on two more before the inning closed.
Marin capped off his performance by putting Tennessee’s last run on the board later in the eighth when Kilen followed up his double down the left-field line with one of his own. In the postgame press conference, Marin was all smiles while sitting between stars Andrew Fischer and Liam Doyle.
“Manny just doesn’t say as much to me as these other guys,” coach Tony Vitello said of Marin after the game. “But I’ve said it before, and maybe you’re not supposed to say this as a coach, but I’ve told a bunch of people, he’s probably better than all of them. He’s just a young pup, so it’ll be fun to watch him grow up.”
Marin believes the experience he gained in the regional will provide significant value as he moves forward in his college career.
“I think I can take away slowing the game down for sure,” Marin said, “and using every advantage that you have, even if it’s just a timeout to slow the game down and help you do what you know you can do.”
Marin and the Vols will travel to Fayetteville for a rematch against No. 3 Arkansas this weekend for the super regionals. The Vols visited the Razorbacks in the final week of the regular season and came up short in a 2-1 series loss. Additionally, the Vols have failed to win a series in Fayetteville since 2001, with a record of 7-20 over that span.
Does this Tennessee team have what it takes to end that drought and continue its championship defense? There is only one way to find out: catch the first game at 5 p.m. ET Saturday.
