news

Hunter Ensley Slides Down Vols National Title Tradition

VaselineJune 27, 2024

0 3 minutes read

Hunter Ensley Slides Down Vols National Title Tradition

Blake Burke rushed back into the Tennessee baseball dugout.

The Vols first baseman shot out of one end of the third base dugout during the College World Series, expecting Kavares Tears’ blast to be a home run. But it ricocheted off the right-center field wall, sending Burke charging toward the other end.

The change of venue gave him an ideal vantage point as Hunter Ensley roared toward home plate and pulled off a slide into Tennessee lore. Ensley scored what proved to be the winning run in Tennessee’s 6-5 national title win over Texas A&M on Monday, acrobatically angling his body to steal a run — and cement his place in Vols history.

“There’s no better move for our program than to be the winning run on that slide (from) a guy who’s just built with a lot of grit,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said.

How Hunter Ensley Made the Slide to Win a National Championship for the Vols

Ensley burned a letter-high fastball from Texas A&M reliever Evan Aschenbeck two pitches after Dylan Dreiling hit his third two-run homer in the CWS finale.

It crept past a diving Kaeden Kent at third base and into left field.

Ensley, playing with an injured hamstring, left two pitches later when Tears blasted an outside slider to right-center. It bounced off the wall and into the bare hand of Aggies outfielder Jace LaViolette, who shot off shortstop Ali Camarillo as Ensley stepped to third base.

BOOK: Celebrate Tennessee Baseball’s epic CWS National Championship with our special new book

Vols assistant coach Josh Elander sent Ensley home. Ensley picked up Dean Curley, indicating the throw came in foul territory toward the outside of the plate.

“There’s not really a lot of thought to it,” Ensley said. “I just saw that right in front of me and just made an athletic move to get back inside the bag.”

Ensley pushed off his right foot as Texas A&M catcher Jackson Appel caught the ball, turning his body sideways. He twisted his body around Appel, reached for the plate and tapped it with his left hand to give Tennessee a 6-1 lead.

Appel only tagged air.

“I thought he tagged out,” second baseman Christian Moore said. “After I saw the play, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he yoked it.’ He broke his ankles. He brought a little bit of football to baseball.”

Hunter Ensley had a College World Series full of highlights

Ensley has no idea who picked up his helmet.

He launched the Huntingdon, Tennessee product in a fit of competitive excitement. After his magical slide act, he ripped it out of his head.

“The umpire at third base, he didn’t forget to tell me not to throw my helmet away next time,” Ensley said.

Ensley was in the dugout as Texas A&M challenged the play. He insisted that Appel had not touched him, which turned out to be true after Safe’s ruling was upheld.

The redshirt junior had already played a major role in the CWS when he crashed into the outfield wall in UT’s game against North Carolina on June 15. Ensley caught UNC’s Anthony Donofrio’s fly ball and then crashed into the wall so hard that his black eye was stuck to the wall after he left the game three innings later.

Ensley played the next two games as the designated hitter due to the hamstring injury he suffered on that play, before returning to center field for the final two games against Texas A&M.

“You’d have to cut my damn leg off if I didn’t come here and play the last three games,” Ensley said.

You should have done the same to prevent him from scoring the game-winning run that gave Tennessee the first national title in program history.

“I’m just happy I got a KT and another RBI,” Ensley said.

Ensley walked into midfield long after the stadium had emptied on Monday. He grabbed his phone and filmed the view. The 22-year-old was thinking about getting some cold drinks at the hotel.

About thirty yards behind him was the wall he had voluntarily run into a week earlier. A hundred yards ahead of him was the slab he touched for what he casually called a “pretty big run.”

“I’m so glad Hunter scored because that would have made me look like an idiot,” Burke said.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you like Mike’s reporting, consider a digital subscription that gives you access to it all

VaselineJune 27, 2024

0 3 minutes read

How Hunter Ensley Made the Slide to Win a National Championship for the Vols

Hunter Ensley had a College World Series full of highlights

Vaseline

Related Articles

Son of Penn State football icon commits to the Nittany Lions

Muriel Furrer: Swiss cyclist dies after crash at Road and Para-cycling World Championships

NFL Rumors: Colorado’s Deion Sanders Hasn’t Had ‘Official’ Talks About HC Job | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Sunday night storms will bring extra rain to the green country