Tennessee baseball lost its fifth straight series of the season after dropping Friday and Saturday's games against Arkansas. The Vols started the series with a win but once again dropped the final two games to continue their SEC struggles.
As a result, the Vols received a tough draw for the SEC Tournament. Tennessee will be the No. 8 seed in this year's tournament, setting up an early matchup with No. 1 seed Texas in the second round, assuming Tennessee wins its first-round game.
Tennessee will face the winner of No. 9 seed Alabama and No. 16 seed Missouri. The Vols did not face Missouri this season, but they did win two out of three early in the conference schedule against Alabama.
Alabama finished the year 40-15 and 16-14 in conference play. It is unlikely that 16-38 Missouri puts any pressure on the Crimson Tide, as Alabama swept Missouri less than a month ago.
Tennessee’s first game in the SEC Tournament is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 AM, starting the midweek matchups in Hoover, Alabama. A win would set up a 3:00 PM matchup against Texas on Thursday.
If the Vols want to ensure they host at least the Regional Round and maybe even the Super Regional Round, they are going to have to make a deep run in the SEC Tournament.
One-and-done or two-and-done won't be enough for the Vols to move up the rankings. Tennessee is going to need to impress in the SEC Tournament after a disappointing end to its conference schedule.
Tennessee has won the SEC Tournament twice in the Tony Vitello era, and advanced to the championship game one other time with a loss to Arkansas. The Vols know how to win in the SEC Tournament and will have to bring their best if they want to make a deep run.