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Tennessee baseball's historic loss could cost them No. 1 seed

By Colton Pickard

May 22 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Tennessee shortstop Dean Curley throws to first to complete a double play over the head of Vanderbilt base runner Colin Barczi at the Hoover Met during the SEC Tournament.
May 22 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Tennessee shortstop Dean Curley throws to first to complete a double play over the head of Vanderbilt base runner Colin Barczi at the Hoover Met during the SEC Tournament. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA
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In the grand scheme of things, the No. 1 overall seed in the College World Series doesn't mean much. Every team still has to win their regional and superregion to advance to Omaha, but Tennessee deserves the honor of being the No. 1 seed after finishing the season as the No. 1 team in the country. 

After the Vols' loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, that might not happen. The Vols will now face elimination from here on out as they try to claw their way back and win the SEC Tournament. Luckily for them, every SEC team they were competing with also lost their tournament opener. 

Kentucky was run-ruled by LSU, Arkansas lost to South Carolina, and Texas A&M lost to Mississippi State, who hit a walk-off home run against Ole Miss on Tuesday to advance to Wednesday's game against A&M. This marks the first time since 2010 that the top four seeds all lost their first game of the SEC Tournament. 

The Tennessee bats were able to get some hits against Vanderbilt but couldn't bring them home, leaving seven runners on base throughout Wednesday's game. 

The pitching wasn't on par either, with Nate Snead getting the start and posting his worst performance of the season. He allowed five runs through two and two-thirds innings, which is not even close to other starts this season. His second-worst start this season came against Alabama, where he allowed four runs over five innings. 

It didn't help that the bullpen fell apart down the stretch, allowing eight runs after Snead's early struggles. The bullpen held on for the most part after Snead was pulled but wasn't able to keep the Vols within striking distance late in the game. 

Andrew Behnke relieved Snead, allowing one run on two hits over an inning of work. Dylan Loy came in and allowed one run before recording one out. Kirby Connell and AJ Russell calmed things down, neither allowing a run, but that was the end of the peace on the mound for Tennessee. 

Marcus Phillips pitched the seventh inning and allowed two runs on two hits, Matthew Dallas followed that up by allowing three runs in the eighth, and JJ Garcia allowed the final run in the top of the ninth. That all but ended any chance the Vols had at making a late-game comeback. 

The Vols will have to bounce back quickly if they want to keep playing in the tournament. Tennessee will face Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 PM ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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