Dylan Dreiling on Monday night was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player after starring for No. 1 Tennessee, helping lift the Vols to their first national championship in program history, taking down No. 3 Texas A&M.
Dreiling, who hit the go-ahead, two-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 2 on Sunday afternoon, hit another two-run home run in the seventh on Monday night, giving Tennessee important insurance runs in the 6-5 win in the winner-take-all Game 3 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
Dreiling’s home run extended Tennessee’s lead to 5-1. Kavaers Tears added an RBI double two at-bats later, before A&M scored two runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Over the three game series, Dreiling went 7-for-12 with seven runs batted in and four runs scored. He hit three home runs, all two-run shots, in the series, hitting one in each game. He had three RBI Monday and two each in Game 1 and Game 2.
Dylan Dreiling in College World Series Final: 7-12, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R
Dreiling earlier on Monday had the go-ahead RBI with a sacrifice in the bottom of the third, putting Tennessee up 2-1 after Texas A&M had tied the game in the top of the inning.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound sophomore and native of Hays, Kansas, had 11 RBI over Tennessee’s six games in Omaha, tying a program record for most RBI by a Tennessee player in the College world Series.
Texas A&M started the championship series with a 9-5 win Saturday night. The Aggies used a five-run third inning to take control, building a 7-2 lead. Dreiling and Hunter Ensley hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh to get back within four runs, but the Vols would get no closer.
A&M on Sunday was seven outs away from winning the title, leading 1-0 in the top of the seventh inning when Dreiling hit a two-run, go-ahead home run with two outs. Cal Stark added a two-run home run as Tennessee marched on to a 4-1 win to force Monday night’s Game 3.
‘I think his heart just kind of stays calm, his mind stays calm’
“It was an SEC war, or just a postseason war,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said Sunday night, describing the game that Dreiling turned around with one swing.
Dreiling entered the championship series against Texas A&M game hitting .336 on the season with 22 home runs and 72 RBI. As a freshman last season he hit .180 with five home runs and 17 RBI, starting 43 times in 53 games.
“He’s already a quiet kid,” Stark said of Dreiling on Sunday, “but I think his heart just kind of stays calm, his mind stays calm. And I feel like he’s kind of built for those moments. He’s done it all year.”
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