Tennessee baseball didn’t need the SEC Tournament title. It needed what it found out.

HOOVER, Ala. — Dylan Loy was engulfed on the mound.

The Tennessee baseball infield came in as Loy prepared to exit the game. They couldn’t let him go without proper treatment. Loy walked around the mound and got a hug from five of his teammates, his final act on a fine afternoon.

Loy put the bow on what Andrew Behnke started, Zander Sechrist inflated and Marcus Phillips punctuated. 

Tennessee’s pitching staff was the centerpiece of a five-day run to the SEC Tournament title — and it has more to offer than Vols coach Tony Vitello knew going in. 

“We had no questions about our depth,” Vitello said. “But what version are you going to get out of each guy?”

The No. 1 Vols (50-11) now more about that now after a lengthy stint at Hoover Met that culminated in a 4-3 title-clinching win against No. 11 seed LSU (40-21) on Sunday. It was a title Tennessee didn't need. It needed what it found out.

Frank Anderson has worked wonders with the Tennessee baseball pitchers

Vitello went straight to pitching in his postgame remarks. Well, he went straight to pitching coach Frank Anderson.

“Blessed to have Frank Anderson be a part of our staff with pitching,” Vitello said.

Anderson has led Tennessee to special seasons with elite pitching. He has taken this staff — which lost its Friday night starter AJ Russell for more than two months — and kept it as one of the best in the country. It has largely been buoyed by the top arms such as Drew Beam, Kirby Connell, Nate Snead and AJ Causey. It got the usual from those pitchers then key work from others in Hoover. 

Behnke hurled an elite inning against Mississippi State on Friday in the quarterfinals. Sechrist threw six quality innings against Vanderbilt in the semifinals in one of the best starts of his career. Phillips rolled in and threw 100 mph while pitching the final three innings against the Commodores.

Loy, a former star at Pigeon Forge, might have saved the best for last. He struck out five in a career-long 4⅔ innings against LSU (40-21). He allowed two hits and walked two.

“I think we have always had depth,” catcher Cal Stark said. “We just got to show it this week. It was good for guys to get out there, show what they can do.”

Tennessee baseball is the most complete team in the nation with this staff

Vitello viewed Tennessee’s time in the SEC Tournament as a chance to check off boxes.

Winning the tournament wasn’t really one of the boxes. It happened because of the things that happened while checking those boxes. Getting Russell back on the mound was one of them and he threw twice. Seeing pitchers outside the core group put their best foot forward was a foremost box.

It was checked.

“It was just a matter of stay true to yourself because it is a pretty good group and a pretty deep group when they do,” Vitello said.

That reality paired with Tennessee’s lethal lineup made the Vols the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It also makes the Vols the nation’s most complete team once again going into the tournament. That was the case two years ago as well, which is why Vitello reminded wins in Hoover do not guarantee getting to Omaha.

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But what Tennessee showed on the mound gives it a better shot than it had coming in — and that shot was already quite good.

Loy got his final hug from Russell in front of the Tennessee dugout Sunday after exiting the game. There could be more to come for those two — and because of those two.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.