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Where Tennessee baseball’s 2022 season ranks among all-time Vols choke jobs

By Caleb Calhoun

The Tennessee dugout after their loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA baseball Super Regional championship game in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, June 12, 2022.Kns Ut Baseball Notre Dame
The Tennessee dugout after their loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA baseball Super Regional championship game in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, June 12, 2022.Kns Ut Baseball Notre Dame /
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Volunteers walk off the field after the NCAA Knoxville Super Regionals between Tennessee and Notre Dame at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, June 12, 2022.Utvsndbaseball 2282
Volunteers walk off the field after the NCAA Knoxville Super Regionals between Tennessee and Notre Dame at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, June 12, 2022.Utvsndbaseball 2282 /

3. 2022 Tennessee baseball

Although 2001 football was more painful for fans involved, the fact of the matter is the Vols were likely just playing for an SEC Championship and a spot in the national title game, not winning the title itself. Nobody was going to beat the Miami Hurricanes that year, who had the greatest collection of talent ever assembled on a college team.

This year’s Tennessee baseball team, though, is on the list of teams that were easily the best in the nation and just blew it. That 1999 women’s basketball team could have been up here, but Purdue, one of the teams that beat them, actually won the national title. As a result, it’s not clear if they were the obvious best team.

However, Tony Vitello’s 2022 baseball team was. The Vols coasted through the regular season, only losing one series, and that was due to crazy weather. They swept their way through the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Regional that they hosted.

Somehow, though, as the 57-win No. 1 overall seed, they couldn’t put away the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Super Regional. As a result, just like the 1994 team, they cost themselves a shot at the College World Series. This time, they did it despite easily being the best team in the nation. The loss never should have happened.

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