Where Tennessee baseball ranks heading into Regional weekend
Tennessee baseball – and the rest of the collegiate game across the country – is just days away from beginning postseason play at the 16 regional hosts sites this weekend. With that, five of the six national polls released updates rankings this week with the Volunteers appearing inside the list for every publication.
The Vols bowed out to Texas A&M 3-0 on Tuesday in the opening round of the 2023 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament. The Aggies made a run to the tournament championship while the Vols went home and picked up some welcomed rest before regional play. On Selection Monday, Tennessee was tabbed as the 2-seed in the Clemson Regional with the hosting Tigers, 3-seed Charlotte and 4-seed Lipscomb.
Tony Vitello’s club locked down their highest ranking this week in the USA Today Poll despite moving down three spots following the 0-1 week. At No. 16, Tennessee comes in just behind Dallas Baptist and in front of Oregon State, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Indiana State, who finished 17-20.
Tennessee notched a top-20 ranking, according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, checking in at No. 18. Baseball America has the Vols as the 20th team in the country this week, appearing just ahead of Duke, Auburn, Maryland, TCU and Indiana State.
D1 Baseball, the poll Volquest utilizes on a weekly basis, views Tennessee as the 21st best team this week heading into regionals. The Vols finished just behind Auburn at No. 20 and Alabama, Indiana State, Oregon and Texas A&M and rounded out the poll at No. 22-25.
The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, who includes a top-30 poll each week, has the Vols slipping just one spot from No 25 to No. 26 this go-around. Tennessee comes in just ahead of East Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Boston College.
To this point, the Perfect Game publication has not released an updated poll for this week. Tennessee was tabbed at No. 9 last week before going 0-1 on the week with a loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
Sitting at 38-19 on the year, the Vols ended the regular season winners of 15 of their last 19 ballgames and 11 of the final 15 conference games on the schedule. Danny White oversees an athletic department that was just one of two teams in the country to reach the postseason in the six major sports of football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. Texas was the only other program to accomplish the feat.
Tennessee in the weekly polls (May 30)
USA Today: No. 16 (-3)
NCBWA: No. 18 (-3)
Baseball America: No. 20 (-2)
D1 Baseball: No. 21 (-8)
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper: No. 26 (-1)
Perfect Game: no updated poll
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