Kavares Tears co-signs Tennessee mom's co-opting homerun dugout tradition, explains approach in CWS win

The Tennessee Volunteers are officially 2-0 in the College World Series for the first time in school history. They’re now just one win away from the CWS Final after they defeated North Carolina on Sunday 6-1. It was a dominant Father’s Day performance for the No. 1 overall seed. And they got a stellar showing from Kavares Tears.

He delivered in a big way, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run, and four RBIs.

Kavares Tears shared his thoughts following the win

Following the win, he took a few minutes to speak with Kris Budden on the field.

His three-run home run was pivotal in lifting the Volunteers to victory on Sunday. When the game was tied at 0-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Tears blasted a three-run shot over the wall at Charles Schwab Field to make the score 3-0 Tennessee.

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What was he thinking in that inning?

“Well, I knew the guy had been doing a lot to his offspeed. Whenever he had runners on base. So, I think the thing was just winning when he stuck to that pitch and just winning whenever I got it,” Tears explained.

Why was his mom wearing a fur coat in the stands?

“I think all the moms. They went and got their own fur coat. They like to wear it around whenever we hit home runs. I think it’s pretty sick,” the star slugger laughed.

It marked the 57th win of the season for the Volunteers, matching the program record set in 2022. What does it mean that they’re now one win away from the College World Series Final?

“It means a whole lot. I’m really here for them. You know, the man upstairs. Just being able to trust in him and trust in the coaches. Trust in the teammates. Just building special relationships from day one. And just not doing anything but going over with it. That’s been the biggest role that I think that’s helped us a team,” Tears explained.

The Volunteers also got a great performance from their pitching staff on Sunday. Drew Beam became the first Tennessee pitcher to have five strikeouts in multiple College World Series’ games.

Tennessee will remain in the winner’s bracket and wait until Wednesday to play again. They’ll face the winner of the FSU-UNC matchup. From there, they’ll have to win just one out of two to advance to the final series for the championship.

As for UNC, this sets up a conference matchup between them and Florida State in the loser’s bracket. The winner of that game on Tuesday will get the rematch with the top seed and have to win two to get to play for the title.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this article.