Tennessee baseball snubbed in first 2024 NCAA Tournament projection

Tennessee baseball is the No. 1 team in the nation and is preparing for a weekend battle with in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Vols sit one game behind Kentucky in the SEC standings but hold the top spot going into the penultimate weekend of the regular season. 

In D1Baseball’s projected field, the BaseVols are not the No. 1 overall seed; they have fallen to the No. 3 overall seed. The No. 1 seed is projected to be Kentucky, a team Tennessee won two out of three against a few weeks ago, and Texas A&M at No. 2 overall. The Vols and Aggies are not scheduled to play against each other this season, but we could see them play in the SEC Tournament. 

Although the Vols fell to the No. 3 seed, they will still host regionals and super regionals in Knoxville. Tennessee is projected to face the winner of the Athens Regional, hosted by Georgia, with Wake Forest, Southern Miss, and Austin Peay projected to join Georgia. 

On the other hand, Tennessee’s region is projected to host Connecticut, Virginia Tech, and Niagara. A lot can change with conference tournaments still to be played, but this would be an uphill battle for Tennessee to make its third trip to the College World Series under Tony Vitello. 

Those three programs are no slouches. UCONN is 27-20 and 12-3 in the Big East, while Virginia Tech is 31-15 and 13-11 in the ACC. Niagara is a bit more unknown program but has been rolling through the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They are 30-13 on the season and 16-12 in the MAAC. 

No. 2 seed Texas A&M is projected to host Louisiana, Lamar, and New Mexico, while projected against Santa Barbara hosting Arizona, Kansas State, and Grand Canyon. 

No. 1 seed Kentucky is projected to host West Virginia, Illinois, and Omaha, while projected against South Carolina hosting Oregon State, Georgia Tech, and High Point University. 

The Vols have two more SEC series and the SEC Tournament to prove they deserve the No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA College Baseball Tournament. The field of 64 will be set for Monday, May 27, at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.