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Tennessee baseball has won an NCAA Tournament regional five consecutive years. It enters the Chapel Hill Regional as the No. 2 seed looking to make it six in a row.
The No. 25 Vols (38-20) will begin against No. 3 seed East Carolina (36-22-1) on May 29 (noon, ESPNU) at Boshamer Stadium. Regional host and No. 1 seed North Carolina (45-11-1) will face No. 4 seed VCU (37-23) at 5 p.m. on the opposite side of the double-elimination bracket.
The Chapel Hill Regional is matched with the College Station Regional, hosted by No. 12 overall seed Texas A&M (39-14). The regional winners will play in a super regional with a spot in the College World Series on the line.
Here’s what to know about the teams in Tennessee’s regional:
Considering the tight schedule of a regional and Tennessee’s relative lack of pitching depth, the Vols’ starters will need to perform.
Sophomore Tegan Kuhns (5-4, 3.39 ERA) is expected to start the first game and Evan Blanco (7-4, 4.94 ERA) will likely pitch the second game.
If Landon Mack (4-4, 4.67 ERA) comes back for the regional after missing his last two regular season starts and the SEC Tournament, Tennessee will have its rotation back at full strength. If he doesn’t, freshman Cam Appenzeller (6-1, 4.94 ERA) might be next in line after starting the first round of the SEC Tournament.
If Tennessee finds itself relying on its bullpen, it will be an uphill battle. In SEC play, Kuhns, Blanco, Mack and Appenzeller combined for a 4.97 ERA in 186.1 innings. The rest of Tennessee’s pitchers had a combined 8.37 ERA in 86 innings.
The Tar Heels are led by an elite pitching staff that has the nation’s 10th-best ERA (3.92), with starters junior Jason DeCaro (10-2, 2.30 ERA) and sophomore Ryan Lynch (4-4, 4.44 ERA) leading the way. DeCaro was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top player in the nation.
ACC Freshman of the Year Caden Glauber (9-0), whose 1.93 ERA is No. 3 in the country, is the best arm in a reliable bullpen.
North Carolina’s lineup is strong but a level below its pitching staff. It ranks middle-of-the-pack in the ACC in many offensive categories, including the eighth-best batting average (.293) and 10th-most home runs (78).
East Carolina doesn’t boast much power in its lineup. It hit only 56 home runs this season, tied for No. 136 in the country. Its offense as a whole hasn’t been particularly effective, averaging 7.2 runs per game (No. 87 nationally).
Senior outfielder Jack Herring is ECU’s most dangerous bat, leading the team in batting average (.358), home runs (9), RBIs (51) and OPS (1.085). He has a 65-game on-base streak dating back to last season.
Junior lefty Ethan Norby (7-3, 4.20 ERA) will likely start against Tennessee on May 29. He is one of the nation's best strikeout artists, with his 120 this season tied for seventh nationally.
The Pirates’ team ERA of 4.30 is No. 21 in the country, but if Tennessee gets to Norby early, East Carolina could have trouble catching up.
VCU won the Atlantic 10 Tournament for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Rams’ defense has been prone to errors with the nation’s No. 128 fielding percentage (.972). Walks have also been an issue for pitchers, with an average of 4.64 per game ranking No. 157.
Redshirt senior starter Patrick Steitz (7-3, 3.01 ERA) and senior reliever Zach Peters (8-1, 1.60 ERA) have led the way on the mound, and sophomore catcher Jacob Lee is the team's best hitter, hitting .342 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Tennessee will fall to North Carolina in the region final. The Vols have shown their ability to beat some of the best teams in the country, but North Carolina’s pitching staff is better set up for a regional setting that can expose depth issues. Getting into the winners' bracket early and needing just three wins instead of four is Tennessee's best chance.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Can Tennessee baseball win its NCAA Tournament regional? Our prediction
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The No. 25 Vols (38-20) will begin against No. 3 seed East Carolina (36-22-1) on May 29 (noon, ESPNU) at Boshamer Stadium. Regional host and No. 1 seed North Carolina (45-11-1) will face No. 4 seed VCU (37-23) at 5 p.m. on the opposite side of the double-elimination bracket.
The Chapel Hill Regional is matched with the College Station Regional, hosted by No. 12 overall seed Texas A&M (39-14). The regional winners will play in a super regional with a spot in the College World Series on the line.
Here’s what to know about the teams in Tennessee’s regional:
Will Tennessee’s starting pitching step up?
Considering the tight schedule of a regional and Tennessee’s relative lack of pitching depth, the Vols’ starters will need to perform.
Sophomore Tegan Kuhns (5-4, 3.39 ERA) is expected to start the first game and Evan Blanco (7-4, 4.94 ERA) will likely pitch the second game.
If Landon Mack (4-4, 4.67 ERA) comes back for the regional after missing his last two regular season starts and the SEC Tournament, Tennessee will have its rotation back at full strength. If he doesn’t, freshman Cam Appenzeller (6-1, 4.94 ERA) might be next in line after starting the first round of the SEC Tournament.
If Tennessee finds itself relying on its bullpen, it will be an uphill battle. In SEC play, Kuhns, Blanco, Mack and Appenzeller combined for a 4.97 ERA in 186.1 innings. The rest of Tennessee’s pitchers had a combined 8.37 ERA in 86 innings.
North Carolina powered by top-notch pitching staff
The Tar Heels are led by an elite pitching staff that has the nation’s 10th-best ERA (3.92), with starters junior Jason DeCaro (10-2, 2.30 ERA) and sophomore Ryan Lynch (4-4, 4.44 ERA) leading the way. DeCaro was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top player in the nation.
ACC Freshman of the Year Caden Glauber (9-0), whose 1.93 ERA is No. 3 in the country, is the best arm in a reliable bullpen.
North Carolina’s lineup is strong but a level below its pitching staff. It ranks middle-of-the-pack in the ACC in many offensive categories, including the eighth-best batting average (.293) and 10th-most home runs (78).
East Carolina doesn’t hit for power, needs strong start from ace
East Carolina doesn’t boast much power in its lineup. It hit only 56 home runs this season, tied for No. 136 in the country. Its offense as a whole hasn’t been particularly effective, averaging 7.2 runs per game (No. 87 nationally).
Senior outfielder Jack Herring is ECU’s most dangerous bat, leading the team in batting average (.358), home runs (9), RBIs (51) and OPS (1.085). He has a 65-game on-base streak dating back to last season.
Junior lefty Ethan Norby (7-3, 4.20 ERA) will likely start against Tennessee on May 29. He is one of the nation's best strikeout artists, with his 120 this season tied for seventh nationally.
The Pirates’ team ERA of 4.30 is No. 21 in the country, but if Tennessee gets to Norby early, East Carolina could have trouble catching up.
VCU will be the underdog
VCU won the Atlantic 10 Tournament for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Rams’ defense has been prone to errors with the nation’s No. 128 fielding percentage (.972). Walks have also been an issue for pitchers, with an average of 4.64 per game ranking No. 157.
Redshirt senior starter Patrick Steitz (7-3, 3.01 ERA) and senior reliever Zach Peters (8-1, 1.60 ERA) have led the way on the mound, and sophomore catcher Jacob Lee is the team's best hitter, hitting .342 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Prediction
Tennessee will fall to North Carolina in the region final. The Vols have shown their ability to beat some of the best teams in the country, but North Carolina’s pitching staff is better set up for a regional setting that can expose depth issues. Getting into the winners' bracket early and needing just three wins instead of four is Tennessee's best chance.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Can Tennessee baseball win its NCAA Tournament regional? Our prediction
Continue reading...
