Dreiling, Moore power Vols to first Men's College World Series crown
Jes¨²s Cano
@jesus_cano88Christian Moore got Tennessee off on the right foot. Dylan Dreiling made sure the Volunteers stayed there.
And for the first time in school history, Tennessee became Men¡¯s College World Series champions with a 6-5 win over Texas A&M in a decisive Game 3 on Monday.
After the Volunteers dropped the first game of the Finals, they won back-to-back contests to bring the hardware to Knoxville. It had been 73 years since the school had made it to the championship series.
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Dreiling, MLB Pipeline's No. 72 Draft prospect, was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player, joining the likes of previous winners Paul Skenes (2023), Adley Rutschman (2018) and Dansby Swanson (2014).
And Dreiling really earned that honor, homering in all three of the Finals games. But his mighty swing in the bottom of the seventh inning of the finale proved to be one of the most important in Volunteers history.
Holding onto a three-run lead, the outfielder drilled a two-run homer. He finished the series 14-for-32 with 10 RBIs. Each of the 21-year-old¡¯s long balls in the Finals was significant. Friday, he ignited a late-inning rally that ultimately fell short. On Sunday, he gave Tennessee the lead.
Dreiling also lofted a sacrifice fly in the third in Game 3, plating Blake Burke (No. 64).
"It's just special," Dreiling said. "The bond we have is unbreakable."
Moore¡¯s presence also was felt throughout the tournament. He became the first player to hit for the cycle in the Men's College World Series in 68 years. The home run in that feat was a 440-foot dinger.
Moore wasted no time asserting dominance in Game 3. Three pitches into the bottom of the first inning, the No. 25 Draft prospect smoked a solo homer to left field, sending the Tennessee faithful in attendance into a frenzy.
The Brooklyn native, who finished the tournament batting .400, was projected to go to the Red Sox with the No. 12 pick next month in the most recent Pipeline mock draft.
Tennessee added the eventual game-winning run two batters after Drieling¡¯s homer when Kavares Tears (No. 65) doubled to center. Hunter Ensley came around to score, diving past Aggies catcher Jackson Appel and evading his tag to touch home plate in highlight-reel fashion.
The Aggies had to play without No. 8 Draft prospect Braden Montgomery, who suffered an ankle injury on June 8 that sidelined him for the entire tournament. Texas A&M never held the lead in the final game but found ways to keep it close until the final pitch.
Gavin Grahovac tied the game up in the third with an RBI single. After the Vols took a 6-1 lead, Hayden Schott, Caden Sorrell and Appel drove in runs and Appel scored on a wild pitch in the ninth, but the Aggies fell one short in the end.
Some of the players in the Men's College World Series will now turn their attentions to the MLB Draft, which takes place from July 14-16 during All-Star Week in Arlington, Texas.