Tennessee baseball must fix defensive errors to win College World Series
![Tennessee's Reese Chapman (13) in the outfield during a NCAA College World Series game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Tennessee's Reese Chapman (13) in the outfield during a NCAA College World Series game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 22, 2024.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1859,h_1045,x_156,y_328/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/212/01j11dhp42gzq9dcsfz0.jpg)
Tennessee baseball lost game one of the College World Series Finals to Texas A&M. The Vols lost 9-5 in the series opener, and defensive errors were again an issue. Tennessee's defense has floundered throughout its postseason run and has been its biggest struggle in Omaha.
You may know that defensive errors are pretty common if you have watched Tennessee throughout the postseason. The Vols have committed over a dozen errors in their postseason run, but Saturday night's performance hurts the most with a championship on the line.
The Vols have committed two or more errors in three of their four games in Omaha. Tennessee has committed eight total errors throughout the College World Series and 14 errors since the start of the NCAA Tournament.
In comparison, Tennessee's CWS Finals opponent, Texas A&M, has only committed two errors since arriving in Omaha, and Florida State has committed the second-most errors in the CWS tournament with four.
If Tennessee plans on winning two straight games and the first CWS title in school history, it will have to fix its defensive struggles overnight.
The Vols' loss to A&M doesn't solely fall on defensive errors, but multiple runs could have been prevented if they had not committed those errors. Even trailing 5-2 instead of 7-2 feels like a completely different game throughout the middle innings, but Tennessee wasn't at its best in any phase of the game throughout Game One.
Teams that struggle defensively don't often win championships, although Tennessee is good enough to clean up their mistakes and win two straight games. Last year's LSU team was able to win Game 3 of the CWS Finals against Florida after committing five errors in a 24-4 loss in Game Two, so it's not impossible.
Tennessee will look to regroup after losing Game One as it tries to keep its season alive. The Vols and Aggies' Game Two is set to start at 2:00 PM ET on Sunday on ABC.