Tennessee baseball set to rekindle rivalry in regionals
![Tennessee infielder Christian Moore (1) highlights the \"Tennessee\" on his jersey after hitting a double during game two of the NCAA baseball super regional between Tennessee and Southern Mississippi held at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Sunday, June 11, 2023.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5000,h_2812,x_0,y_295/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F212%2F01hyxjk22b9qxsnt5hkf.jpg "Tennessee infielder Christian Moore (1) highlights the \\"Tennessee\\" on his jersey after hitting a double during game two of the NCAA baseball super regional between Tennessee and Southern Mississippi held at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Sunday, June 11, 2023.")
Tennessee baseball won the SEC Tournament Championship, earning the Vols the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for a place in the College World Series. If they advance past this weekend, the Vols will also host regionals in Knoxville and super regionals.
The NCAA announced on Monday the teams set to join the Vols in Knoxville. Tennessee will host 4-seed Northern Kentucky, 3-seed Indiana, and 2-seed Southern Miss. After meeting them in super regionals last year, the Vols have become familiar with Southern Miss.
In a hotly contested three-game series, Tennessee won two out of three against USM in last year’s Hattiesburg Super Regional. The Vols lost the first game but rallied back to outscore the Golden Eagles 13-4 to win the series' final two games and earn a spot in the College World Series.
The Vols and Golden Eagles developed a small rivalry over that span of three games, and it is still something most Tennessee players will remember. USM will also be looking to get revenge on the Vols after disappointingly sending their head coach into retirement.
USM finished the season with a 41-18 record and went 20-10 in the Sun Belt. Indiana comes into regionals with a 32-24-1 record and 15-9 in the Big 10, while Northern Kentucky went 35-22 and 19-11 in the Horizon League.
Tennessee matches with the Greenville Regional, hosted by East Carolina. The Pirates will host Evansville, VCU, and Wake Forest this weekend to determine who could face Tennessee in the super-regional round.
If the Demon Deacons win the Greenville Regional and make the trip to Knoxville, the Vols could welcome back old friend Chase Burns, who transferred out of Tennessee to Wake Forest last year.
The Knoxville Regional, as well as the entire first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, will take place from May 31-June 3. Tennessee is scheduled to open the Knoxville Regional against Northern Kentucky on Friday, March 31 at 7 PM ET on the SEC Network.