The SEC Tournament didn't quite go according to plan for the Tennessee Volunteers, as Tony Vitello and Co. lost to Vanderbilt, the eventual champions, in the semifinals. That loss has been flushed, though, and it's on to the NCAA Tournament.
While the Vols haven't been playing their best baseball, there's no question that the reigning College World Series champs need to be taken seriously over the next few weeks. Just ask ESPN's Mike Rooney about that. He has turned plenty of heads, as he surprisingly said that despite the way UT has been playing of late, he still views them as the most talented team out there:
ESPN analyst Mike Rooney is high on Tennessee ahead of the NCAA Tournament
This should get the fellas excited about silencing a lot of haters. In the SEC Tourney, the Vols stunned a lot of people by taking down then No. 2 Texas in an extra-innings thriller. Ace Liam Doyle didn't have his best stuff that day, but his teammates were able to bail him out.
On Saturday against Vandy, things didn't go to plan - the Commodores dominated play from start to finish and they once again were able to talk plenty of smack for taking down their in-state rival. Tennessee fans remain ticked off over that loss.
Despite that setback, it's time for Tennessee to prove it still has what it takes to play at a high level and go on a deep postseason run. Plenty of people doubted the Vols at this point last year, but they made program history by winning it all.
Things will get started for Vitello and Co. on Friday in a showdown with Miami (Ohio). There will be no excuses for Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional, as plenty of fans will be on hand too to support the club. Yes, the loss to Vandy still stings, but the club has what it takes to surprise a lot of people moving forward. Who knows, Rooney could end up looking like a genius with what he recently had to say.