'It had to happen:' Trey Lipscomb and one of the best offensive seasons in Tennessee baseball history

Trey Lipscomb still looks at his at-bats from 2019.

Tennessee baseball's third baseman hardly recognizes the 18-year-old kid rushing to the batter's box while trying to impress in sparse opportunities. He's shocked by the eagerness. He isn’t shocked by the results.

He got one hit in 14 at-bats.

“It is almost like I was asking to get out or something,” Lipscomb said.

Lipscomb takes a slow walk from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box these days. He slides his right foot across the back of the box as he walks across it. He strides to the other side and stares at his bat before stepping in and planting himself in the box.

“Now, when I go to the box, it is my show,” Lipscomb said. “No one is going to stop me.”

How Trey Lipscomb changed his mentality

Lipscomb is having one of the most prolific offensive seasons in Tennessee history. He is crushing the ball and driving in runs at a record-setting pace, with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs entering the series between No. 1 Tennessee (38-3, 17-1 SEC) and No. 21 Auburn (30-12, 11-7).

Who Lipscomb is now is the product of active patience. He waited deliberately and wisely for his opportunity.

“I put my head on my pillow every single night and was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Lipscomb said. “It was almost like it had to happen.”

Lipscomb talks about the senior season he is having with that attitude. He never lacked talent or confidence. Tennessee's coaches didn’t question his skills or his future as an SEC starter.

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The Frederick, Maryland, native never thought about leaving while waiting behind a pair of standout third basemen in Andre Lipcius and Jake Rucker.

“I created some bonds here at Tennessee,” Lipscomb said. “It’s not that I chose not to break them. I couldn’t break the bonds at Tennessee."

Lipscomb took on the challenge of getting better in the background for three years, during which he had 69 at-bats in 37 games. He sought to learn through watching others, getting stronger and focusing on his mental approach.

He didn't have a full concept of patience prior, but realized slowing down was for the better so he could "step back and see things differently.”

Lipscomb started doing yoga during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. He read “It Takes What It Takes” by Trevor Moab and books by Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. He slows down by painting and learned to be in the present moment.

His confidence as a baseball player didn't waver, reinforced by successes during summer ball sessions and end-of-season meetings with Vols coach Tony Vitello.

“I always knew I was always the player I am right now,” Lipscomb said. “It was just a matter of time when I was going to get to do it at this university.”

What Trey Lipscomb learned from Andre Lipcius, Jake Rucker

Lipscomb walked by the batting cages at Lindsey Nelson Stadium early in the morning in 2019. He spotted Lipcius hitting with Max Ferguson day after day.

Eventually, Lipscomb stopped walking by and started watching through the window.

“I like to ask questions, but when I can get information without asking questions and then apply it to my game, that is my type of learning,” Lipscomb said.

Lipscomb got an intimate look at success backing up Lipcius as a freshman and Rucker the past two seasons. He saw their consistency playing third base and hitting No. 3. He watched how they approached baseball in games and behind the scenes.

“He showed up every day and I loved that about him. You could tell he was soaking up information,” Lipcius said. “He always showed spurts of greatness. It was just a matter of time before he got the chance to show off his real abilities. …

“Now, he is playing for the No. 1 team in the country. It is so awesome to see him flourishing.”

Lipcius isn’t surprised by Lipscomb’s successes. He was around daily, going through infield drills. The freshman also picked the veteran's brain during hitting work. He worked on his footwork in front of the mirror at home.

Lipscomb was the apparent heir at third base after Lipcius was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. But the infield shuffled when shortstop Liam Spence arrived, Rucker slid to third base to accommodate Ferguson at second base in 2020 and Lipscomb had to keep waiting.

If Lipscomb was frustrated, Rucker didn’t see it in Lipscomb’s business-like approach.

“I don’t know how he has done it,” said Rucker, a seventh-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in the 2021 MLB Draft. “For him to wait that long, to be that patient to get an opportunity, is something not a lot of people can do.”

Lipscomb and Rucker arrived at UT in the 2019 recruiting class and lived together for three years. Lipscomb observed Rucker’s habits, especially during the 2021 season when they rode to practices and games together. He noticed Rucker would listen to relaxing music and read his Bible before games.

The pair was involved in Christian ministries through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, including weekly meetings called 1Tenn and a leadership team called 2:5.

“He knew that he would get his opportunity one day and he always trusted God’s plan and path for him,” Rucker said.

Trey Lipscomb is the next Vols 3B in line for the MLB Draft

Lipscomb has another successful summer ball stint in Pennsylvania with the Johnston Rail Rats in 2021. He came back to Tennessee in line for the third base job and was ready for it — mentally and physically.

“I knew there was no pressure on my shoulders,” Lipscomb said. “It was just go out there and play ball. No one could stop me. Once I realized that, I think it was over with and that is when I found out who I was myself.”

He went 3-for-4 with a homer in the season opener against Georgia Southern. He hit for the cycle a week later against Iona, going 5-for-5 with nine RBIs.

Lipscomb hasn’t slowed down. He is hitting .361 while tracking for 27 homers and 103 RBIs — both would be program records.

“You knew it was going to come. It was just a matter of when,” Vitello said. “He just made you feel good about having this kid in your program because whether he is in the lineup or not, you knew he was going to help you win.”

Lipscomb is one of the key reasons Tennessee is having a remarkable season. He’s also setting the Vols up for an impressive feat: He likely will be selected in the top-10 rounds of the MLB Draft, giving UT three highly drafted third basemen in four drafts.

“Having guys that are willing to stay in the system and really trust what they are doing, then go on to get drafted is really special,” Lipcius said. “They know if they get a shot, there is good chance they will go onto the level.”

Lipscomb never doubted his time would come. He went to sleep for years believing it, willing it into reality. He goes to sleep now thinking about getting better again the next day.

“If I don’t get better tomorrow, the pitcher on the mound the next day is going to be better than me,” Lipscomb said. “That is how I go about things. Coach V always gives us this quote: ‘If you sleep on a win, you wake up to a loss.’ I just take it like that.”

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.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Trey Lipscomb manufactured an all-time Tennessee baseball season