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Tennessee baseball is back in the NCAA Tournament picture after sweeping Mississippi State, and its performances over the next month will determine if it stays there.
The Vols’ challenge of holding that position could be as difficult as reaching it.
Tennessee (25-12, 7-8 SEC) hosts No. 23 Ole Miss (27-11, 8-7) in an SEC series on April 17 (6:30 p.m. ET), April 18 (6 p.m.) and April 19 (1 p.m.). All three games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium will stream on SEC Network+.
The Vols will stick with the pitching rotation that swept Mississippi State: right-hander Landon Mack (3-2, 3.75 ERA) in Game 1; right-hander Tegan Kuhns (2-3, 3.77 ERA) in Game 2; left-hander Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA) in Game 3.
Ole Miss will start left-hander Hunter Elliott (3-1, 3.69 ERA) in Game 1; right-hander Cade Townsend (3-1, 2.02 ERA); right-hander Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA).
Here’s a quick look at Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament picture heading into the Ole Miss series.
The good news is that UT is now projected to make the postseason. The bad news is that the schedule doesn’t get any easier with 12 of its remaining 19 games against teams ranked in the USA TODAY coaches poll, where the Vols are getting votes once again.
After the Ole Miss series, the Vols will finish the regular season against No. 13 Alabama, Kentucky, No. 4 Texas and No. 14 Oklahoma before the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
“We like where we’re at, but you can’t be satisfied,” coach Josh Elander said. “You’ve just got to keep going. We’re only halfway through this thing, and there’s a lot of back and forth to come.”
Before upsetting Mississippi State in a road sweep, Tennessee was projected to miss the NCAA Tournament. That set off alarms because UT had made an NCAA super regional in each of the past five seasons, including three College World Series appearances and the 2024 national title.
But things are quite better now.
D1baseball.com projects Tennessee as a No. 2 seed in the Atlanta Regional, hosted by Georgia Tech. Baseball America projects Tennessee as a No. 3 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, hosted by Florida State.
Tennessee’s RPI jumped 17 spots to No. 29 after sweeping Mississippi State. That series accounted for three of UT’s four Quad 1 wins this season. Notably, Mississippi State remains No. 23 in RPI, so it could help or hurt UT’s resume down the stretch.
The Vols’ remaining schedule looks even harder when viewed through the lens of RPI rather than top 25 polls.
Texas (No. 2), Alabama (No. 4), Ole Miss (No. 10), Kentucky (No. 17) and Oklahoma (No. 18) are all top 20 teams in RPI. However, that also provides an open door for Tennessee to improve its standing even further.
UT has eight games remaining of a nine-game homestand. Its ultimate NCAA Tournament candidacy could depend on how it plays at Lindsey Nelson Stadium during this stretch.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball NCAA Tournament projection, RPI vs Ole Miss
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The Vols’ challenge of holding that position could be as difficult as reaching it.
Tennessee (25-12, 7-8 SEC) hosts No. 23 Ole Miss (27-11, 8-7) in an SEC series on April 17 (6:30 p.m. ET), April 18 (6 p.m.) and April 19 (1 p.m.). All three games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium will stream on SEC Network+.
The Vols will stick with the pitching rotation that swept Mississippi State: right-hander Landon Mack (3-2, 3.75 ERA) in Game 1; right-hander Tegan Kuhns (2-3, 3.77 ERA) in Game 2; left-hander Evan Blanco (3-2, 3.67 ERA) in Game 3.
Ole Miss will start left-hander Hunter Elliott (3-1, 3.69 ERA) in Game 1; right-hander Cade Townsend (3-1, 2.02 ERA); right-hander Taylor Rabe (3-1, 3.16 ERA).
Here’s a quick look at Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament picture heading into the Ole Miss series.
Vols schedule has tough foes, big opportunities
The good news is that UT is now projected to make the postseason. The bad news is that the schedule doesn’t get any easier with 12 of its remaining 19 games against teams ranked in the USA TODAY coaches poll, where the Vols are getting votes once again.
After the Ole Miss series, the Vols will finish the regular season against No. 13 Alabama, Kentucky, No. 4 Texas and No. 14 Oklahoma before the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
“We like where we’re at, but you can’t be satisfied,” coach Josh Elander said. “You’ve just got to keep going. We’re only halfway through this thing, and there’s a lot of back and forth to come.”
Where Tennessee baseball projects in NCAA Tournament
Before upsetting Mississippi State in a road sweep, Tennessee was projected to miss the NCAA Tournament. That set off alarms because UT had made an NCAA super regional in each of the past five seasons, including three College World Series appearances and the 2024 national title.
But things are quite better now.
D1baseball.com projects Tennessee as a No. 2 seed in the Atlanta Regional, hosted by Georgia Tech. Baseball America projects Tennessee as a No. 3 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, hosted by Florida State.
How Tennessee RPI skyrocketed, could go higher
Tennessee’s RPI jumped 17 spots to No. 29 after sweeping Mississippi State. That series accounted for three of UT’s four Quad 1 wins this season. Notably, Mississippi State remains No. 23 in RPI, so it could help or hurt UT’s resume down the stretch.
The Vols’ remaining schedule looks even harder when viewed through the lens of RPI rather than top 25 polls.
Texas (No. 2), Alabama (No. 4), Ole Miss (No. 10), Kentucky (No. 17) and Oklahoma (No. 18) are all top 20 teams in RPI. However, that also provides an open door for Tennessee to improve its standing even further.
UT has eight games remaining of a nine-game homestand. Its ultimate NCAA Tournament candidacy could depend on how it plays at Lindsey Nelson Stadium during this stretch.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball NCAA Tournament projection, RPI vs Ole Miss
Continue reading...
