Billy Amick’s grand slam in the third inning Saturday night did more than just break open No. 1 Tennessee Baseball’s 12-6 win over Indiana in the Knoxville Super Regional. It helped the Vols continue to climb in the record books.
The grand slam was the 12th of the season through 63 games for Tennessee. The Vols are now one of only three teams in NCAA Baseball history have hit 12 or more grand slams in a single season.
Arizona State holds the record with 14 hit in 68 games during the 2003 season. Oklahoma State also hit 12 during 66 games in 1996.
Amick’s slam helped Tennessee move past 1997 UCLA and 1995 Oklahoma State, which both hit 11.
Vols have hit home runs in 56 of 63 games this season
Tennessee entered the Knoxville Regional with home runs in 54 of 61 games on the season, hitting a total of 147 home runs. There were 11 grand slams from nine different players.
The 11 grand slams had already set a new SEC record and was most in the BBCOR bat era.
Dean Curley and Christian Moore both hit two-run home runs in the top of the second inning to open the scoring and put Tennessee up 4-0 against Indiana in Game 3 of the Knoxville Regional.
Moore drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the third before Amick cleared the bases and put the Vols up 9-0.
Indiana got a three-run home run from Devin Taylor in the third and Tennessee catcher Cal Star answered with a home run of his own in the fourth. The Hoosiers scored one in the fourth and two more in the eighth before the Vols moved on.
Up Next: Tennessee vs. Southern Miss-Indiana winner, Sunday, 6 p.m. ET
Tennessee, which has won a program-record 11 straight regional games, now awaits the winner of Sunday’s Noon Eastern Time game between Southern Miss and Indiana. Indiana beat Southern Miss 10-4 on Friday and Southern Miss then eliminated Northern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in a 6-0 win.
Tennessee and the Southern Miss-Indiana winner will play at 6 p.m. ET.
The Vols beat Northern Kentucky Friday night and will have to lose twice on Sunday to be eliminated. With a win on Sunday, Tennessee will advance to the Super Regional round.
Tennessee, the No. 1 overall seed in the 64-team NCAA Baseball Tournament, would be back home at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in the Super Regionals, hosting No. 16-seed East Carolina, Evansville or VCU.
Evansville upset ECU 4-1 on Friday afternoon and VCU beat Wake Forest 1-0 on the other side of the East Carolina bracket. East Carolina on Saturday gave up five runs in the top of the ninth inning and trailed Wake Forest 6-4, but then scored three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning for a 7-6 walk-off win to advance.
East Carolina plays VCU at Noon ET on Sunday with the winner advancing to face Evansville at 6 p.m. ET.
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