Getting to the College World Series was a huge accomplishment in and of itself for Tennessee baseball. It had been 16 years since the Vols had done it, and Tony Vitello's achievement in his fourth season, only his third complete season, is astounding.
But success breeds a desire for more, and the national crown is now in play. The N.C. State Wolfpack stunned the world by defeating the No. 1 seed Arkansas Razorbacks this past weekend. Arkansas was likely the only team that was unquestionably superior than the Vols throughout the regular season, taking two of three in Knoxville and then defeating them for the SEC Championship.
The Vanderbilt Commodores are now the only club to have won a series versus Tennessee baseball. In Knoxville, Vandy grabbed two of three from the Vols, with both wins being blowouts, but UT is the higher seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Take a look at the CWS bracket for the Vols as well. The Dallas Baptist Patriots or the Virginia Cavaliers, both No. 3 seeds out of their respective regionals, will be their first opponents. The Texas Longhorns, who are seeded higher than them, and either the Mississippi State Bulldogs or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be on their side.
In their only game this season, UT defeated Mississippi State 12-2 in the SEC Tournament. Notre Dame was the No. 10 overall seed, so if the two teams met, the Vols would be the clear favorites. Considering all of this, Texas looks to be the only team that could stand in Rocky Top's way.
Sticking with the bracket, Vanderbilt is on the opposite side and will face the No. 5 seed Arizona Wildcats, who are the hardest first-round opponent of any of the top four seeds. As a consequence, the Vols may not have to meet the defending national champions again in 2019.
Simply said, with the Hogs gone, there are only two teams in the College World Series who have a head-to-head edge over the Vols this year, and none of them are both. Vitello's team is in as strong a position as any to win the championship.
Let's not forget about ranks. Despite not having the first seed, Tennessee baseball is ranked ahead of Texas in Baseball America's Top 25, albeit they are still rated below Vanderbilt.Despite this, considering UT's difficult SEC schedule, there was some debate regarding Texas being seeded higher than the Vols. As a result, Rocky Top has a strong argument to make in Omaha as the favorite. Who'd have guessed that would happen?
You must also consider who is the most attractive. The Vols recently defeated the LSU Tigers, winning 4-2 and then 15-6. They had swept all of their regional opponents before then, and they haven't had a scare since beating the Wright State Raiders with a walk-off grand slam in their first game.
In their Super Regional, Texas had to beat a much weaker South Florida Bulls club, sweeping them but only winning the first game 4-3. Vanderbilt defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by one run and then beat them again in extra innings to go to the Super Regionals, despite facing a tough East Carolina Pirates club.
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