The Tennessee baseball team is starting to get hot at the perfect time. The Vols have won seven of their last nine games and are beginning to look like one of the hotter teams in the country heading into postseason play.
Josh Elander may be playing chess ahead of the SEC Tournament
Now, Tennessee gets a matchup with South Carolina in the SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks are currently on a brutal 12-game losing streak, so this feels like another chance for the Vols to keep building confidence and momentum before the NCAA Tournament begins.
The hot streak is paying off for Josh Elander. Tennessee is climbing in the latest NCAA Tournament projections and may have landed a very favorable regional setup. According to D1Baseball, the Vols are projected as the No. 24 overall seed and the No. 2 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional hosted by Southern Miss, the projected No. 9 national seed.
The Tennessee Volunteers baseball have famously knocked Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball out of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons, and the Vols would love to do it again.
Southern Miss has won 40 games this season while competing in a respectable American Conference, making the Golden Eagles a dangerous regional host, but Tennessee can certainly compete with them. They are No. 13 in the RPI, so it's a great match-up for the Vols in terms of one-seeds.
Also, the Tennessee baseball team would draw TCU in the opening round, and honestly, I like that matchup for Tennessee. TCU was really strong at home this year with a 23-5 record, but the Horned Frogs looked much more vulnerable away from home, going just 8-13 on the road.
Plus, there’s an extra storyline there with Josh Elander facing his alma mater in a regional matchup.
Tennessee Baseball is projected to face Southern Miss in Hattiesburg Regional, per D1Baseball 🍊
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) May 19, 2026
D1Baseball projects Tennessee as a two-seed (No. 24 overall) in the Hattiesburg Regional against No. 9 overall seed Southern Miss.
D1Baseball’s Projection:
1. Southern Miss
2.… pic.twitter.com/HEjZMVzMDk
Tennessee baseball gets a great draw
It’s not often that you look at a projected NCAA Tournament bracket and start hoping it actually happens, but this would be a dream scenario for the Tennessee Vols . Tennessee would potentially draw one of the easier No. 1 seeds, while the projected No. 3 seed is a middle-of-the-pack power conference team.
None of these matchups feel overwhelming, especially considering both teams have had postseason struggles in recent years. Sure, TCU made the World Series a few years ago, but lately, they haven't been a major threat. Meanwhile, Tennessee is starting to heat up at the perfect time. Vols fans would gladly take this draw.
It remains uncertain how things will ultimately play out, but the Tennessee team still has to take care of business in the SEC Tournament and keep its hot streak rolling. If Tennessee can stay healthy and win a few games down in Hoover, the Vols will be in a really good spot heading into the NCAA Tournament.
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