<body><div>Saturday was a good day for top-ranked Tennessee and a tough day for Vanderbilt, and Commodores coach Tim Corbin had plenty to say about it.Saturday was a good day for top-ranked and a tough day for <a href="https://247sports.com/college/vanderbilt/">Vanderbilt</a>, and Commodores coach <a href="https://247sports.com/Coach/tim-corbin-4620/">Tim Corbin</a> had plenty to say about it.Tennessee used big pitches from <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/zander-sechrist-46132914/">Zander Sechrist</a> and <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/marcus-phillips-46147965/">Marcus Phillips</a> and some big swings — many from <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/christian-moore-46149983/">Christian Moore</a> — and rode them to a 6-4 win over in-state rival Vanderbilt in an SEC Tournament semifinal at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, <a href="https://247sports.com/college/alabama/">Alabama</a>, and Corbin discussed the performance with GoVols247 and others.For the third time in four seasons, the Vols advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game, and they'll play <a href="https://247sports.com/college/lsu/">LSU</a> on Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern.Saturday's win improved Tennessee to 49-11 on the season and secured another season-series win over its biggest rival, while the loss dropped Vandy to 38-21, and the Dores will head back to Nashville to start preparing for their to-be-determined road destination for next week's NCAA Tournament Regionals.A great start by Sechrist — who also shoved in Tennessee's SEC regular season title-clinching win over <a href="https://247sports.com/college/south-carolina/">South Carolina</a> — gave the Vols a platform on Saturday, and the offense did just enough despite again missing several opportunities for big innings in the first two-thirds of the game.Three times in the first five innings, the Vols put two runners on base with no outs and didn't score any runs, but a pair of runs in the top of the fourth still game then a 2-0 lead. Those missed opportunities looked costly in the bottom of the fifth, when Sechrist made a rare mistake and paid for it. A towering two-run home run from Vandy freshman first baseman <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/braden-holcomb-46117018/">Braden Holcomb</a> tied the game and gave the Dores a jolt of juice.As they've done most of the season, though, the Vols responded. A sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/dalton-bargo-46146237/">Dalton Bargo</a> put Tennessee back in front, and then Moore provided the game's biggest blast — a two-run cannon shot of a home run that went more than 440 feet and landed beyond the batter's eye over the center field wall.Tennessee added an insurance run on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth, and Phillips did plenty of work in the final three innings to earn the save. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound <a href="https://247sports.com/college/south-dakota/">South Dakota</a> native had his fastball into the triple digits, and he used that to blister Vandy in the seventh inning. The Dores got to him in both the eighth and ninth innings, scoring one run in each inning and putting plenty of traffic on the bases. Phillips got a groundout to leave the bases loaded in the eighth, though, and he got a lazy fly ball to center field with the tying run at the plate in the ninth.Sechrist earned the win, allowing just four hits and two runs in six solid innings, striking out five and walking only one. Phillips allowed four hits and two runs (only one earned) in three innings striking out three and walking two but earning a save and chewing up precious innings for a Tennessee pitching staff that will be without most of its top arms in Sunday's title game.Here's everything Corbin said after the game.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2MkjiA_0tOuRoDr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2MkjiA_0tOuRoDr00" width="620" height="320" ><figcaption>Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin (Photo: SEC Communications)</figcaption></figure>OPENING STATEMENT"Just a tough one, a tough one to lose. We put ourselves in harm's way, though, throughout the game, which was unfortunate. It probably could have been more by them, but at the same time, we pitched well enough to contain them to those six runs. Four of those five kids are freshmen, so it's a great experience. I look at it from a positive. Got McElvain back out there again, Seiber [Brennan Seiber] pitched well, Guth. You know, with the exception of getting himself in trouble, I know he feels bad about the 0-2 pitch, which if you're a young kid and you leave the ball up to a guy who is already got 27 knocks, then he can do that damage and probably learned a tough lesson right there. But I guess better here than next week."Then Kranzler did a nice job getting Christian Moore out and then kind of containing that inning for the most part. But we were just in a tough situation. Offensively, I thought our at-bats were pretty good. We drove the ball to the other side of the field, middle part of the field. They made some really good outfield plays, three diving catches, some balls, three of 'em hit against the fence. Just not enough."But you know what? Personally, and these kids should feel this way too, I'm leaving this tournament very confident about our group right now. It stinks that you can't play tomorrow and I get that, but at the same time, a week ago when we were standing in the middle of the field when <a href="https://247sports.com/college/kentucky/">Kentucky</a> was celebrating like it was a damn presidential inauguration, the fireworks were going off and -- you know, I thought, whoa, this is a low point, and it was, but the next morning we got up, and the kids did a good job of regrouping themselves, themselves. They did it. They got themselves going to win that game. I think since that point, I think there's been some pretty good energy amongst the group. They're a good bunch of guys to coach and I really enjoy it and I hope it lasts a while."ON GETTING PITCHER ETHAN McELVAIN BACK IN TIME FOR THE POSTSEASON…"Got a zero in the one inning. He got to throw 18 pitches, so that was good. It was first and second, no outs, and he got out of it. So, yeah, positive. I think just getting him back out there again was good for Ethan, and to throw the ball the way he did, it's been a long time, so I was happy for him and I'm happy for our team moving forward."ON THE DECISION OF USING JAYDEN DAVIS AS A PINCH-HITTER IN HIS RETURN FROM AN ORBITAL BONE INJURY, AND HOW HAPPY HE WAS TO HAVE HIM BACK…"Not much of a decision. He's been working up to that point, and I told him this morning at breakfast that if a situation came up, that I wouldn't flinch — as long as he doesn't, I won't. And put him in the game, drew a walk. Good for him. That's one at-bat that he needed going into next week. So I'm happy to see him back and the kids were, too."<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4WavOU_0tOuRoDr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4WavOU_0tOuRoDr00" width="620" height="320" ><figcaption>Tennessee junior second baseman Christian Moore (Photo: Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY Sports)</figcaption></figure>ON HOW IT'S NOT FUN TO BE ON THE BUSINESS END OF PLAYERS LIKE CHRISTIAN MOORE, BUT THAT SEC BASEBALL IS LIKE THAT…"Yeah, he's a really good player. I mean, that was a tough pitch. It's an 0-2 pitch that got left up, and not to him. I mean, he's damaged people 27 times and a whole lot more than that. It's a future Major Leaguer. But it kind of encapsulates what kind of talent is inside this league. You look at him at the top, and then you got Will Clark hhitting second, for all intents and purposes. I mean, I've seen Will Clark, so it's like — <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/blake-burke-46131509/">Blake Burke</a> is — I'd take Blake Burke over a lot of hitters out there. I think that kid sees the strike zone, he contains his emotions, he's just a really, really good hitter. But got to face those two guys right off the bat, so that's a tough stretch. But Amick [<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/billy-amick-46146231/">Billy Amick</a>], he's no slouch, either, he's really good."So, anyway, we held 'em down though, you know? Actually, I'm looking at this thing, held 'em down for the most part, especially with the amount of runners that were on base. So … but, you know, credit them. We'll go home to Nashville and get ready for next week."ON WHAT KIND OF WEAPON AN EMERGING MARCUS PHILLIPS COULD BE FOR TENNESSEE'S BULLPEN…"Tony [<a href="https://247sports.com/Coach/tony-vitello-4729/">Tony Vitello</a>] knows him better than I do, but that's a really good arm. I mean, that's a guy that, if you look up in two or three years, you're going to see him on TV, probably out of a bullpen. It's really, really hard stuff. It seems to me like there's not a lot of effort to what he does, and he's wild enough to keep you honest in the batters box. You're not sitting in there. You're not comfortable."But I thought we got off some good swings there at the end, and I was hoping that we could break him. But credit him, he was tough down the stretch, and they rode him. They needed to. I mean, 42 pitches deep. I mean, he did a good job for them."ON WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT TENNESSEE'S ZANDER SECHRIST STRUGGLING AGAINST VANDY TWO WEEKS AGO BUT PERFORMING WELL SATURDAY…"I thought he did a nice job with the right-handed hitters of back-dooring them with the breaking ball and changing speeds. It felt like we had a hard time with him, just because he was around the strike zone, we weren't getting to the barrel. He just did a good job competing. I mean, he let them play defense. He didn't hurt himself. I think he maybe walked one hitter, but never really put himself in jeopardy, and we didn't do enough with him. I think we got the four hits and that was it."Credit him, though. I mean, I'm not going to say we broke down. He made us break down. There's resistance to why you don't get off your swings, and he was that resistance."XXXON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WEEK'S DEEP RUN IN HOOVER FOR THE FRESHMEN AND OTHER INEXPERIENCED PLAYERS ON HIS TEAM…"Good for them. Especially in this tournament, I think just to get inside this tournament and play well [is good]. I think a lot of times, and I've seen this a long period of time, you can manage their nerves for them, they have to experience that. Even the bus ride over, for them to see a police escort, yeah, we talk about it, but then when it happens you go, 'Whoa, this is a big deal.' Then you pull up and see all the campers and you see the notoriety that goes along with this tournament, that's certainly part of it. To contain your adrenaline and your emotions and play the game is a big part of it. So this tournament does a good job of that."I will say this: I can't thank the SEC and Hoover enough for putting this on. I mean, this, it's a thrill to be here. I never will take this for granted, nor will our kids. I mean, it's such a big deal. The effort that everyone goes to make these kids feel special, it doesn't get lost on us, I'll tell you that. Our kids recognize it, and we recognize the brand of baseball and it makes you better, so we're very appreciative to be here."ON THE ADJUSTMENTS VANDY'S OFFENSE MADE TO PUT A DENT IN MARCUS PHILLIPS LATER IN HIS OUTING…"I just think we got ready a little bit earlier, and we probably condensed our swings. I thought we punched the ball. We didn't over swing. I think early we weren't getting ready and he was 99 to 100 that first inning and he kind of carved us up a little bit. But to your point, I think the eighth and ninth inning were better at-bats for us, and we were a click away from breaking it open, but we didn't. So, favor to him."ON THE HEALTH OF THE SEC IN GENERAL HEADING INTO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT…"I think they will all handle themselves well. I say that because … I don't know the rest of the country real well, so it would be unfair of me to speak. But I think what these kids do, whether it's Tennessee or LSU or any of these kids, they play in hot-temperature situations. I mean, there's a lot on their shoulders on a weekly basis, and it's very important to the people around 'em, which kind of creates that little bubble of pressure that — or you can call it whatever you want, bubble of heat that occurs around them."I would suspect, if they play up to their abilities, I would say that you're going to see a favorable amount of teams in Omaha again. There's been a lot of great players in this league for a long period of time and as good or better, but in totality, the league is just very strong from one to nine. You look at this Tennessee lineup, and any one of those kids can do damage, from one to nine, and even us, you know, we get down to [Jack] Bulger, who is hitting eighth, and that's a proven hitter who has hit in the league for four years. Calvin Hewett's had a great tournament, great last couple of weeks."But to answer your question, yeah, I can see them doing well. </div></body>

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Tim Corbin talks Vandy's SEC Tourney loss to No. 1 Tennessee

Saturday was a good day for top-ranked Tennessee and a tough day for Vanderbilt, and Commodores coach Tim Corbin had plenty to say about it. and a tough day for Vanderbilt, and Commodores coach Tim Corbin had plenty to say about it. Tennessee used big pitches from Zander Sechrist and...

Tim Corbin talks Vandy's SEC Tourney loss to No. 1 Tennessee

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