Vols’ latest SEC showing sends Tennessee baseball crashing down rankings

It wasn't long ago that the Tennessee Vols were one of the top squads in the country, with people believing that a run at another title was on the way. However, things have gone from bad to worse in recent weeks for Tony Vitello and Co.

Over the weekend, the Vols, No. 12 in the nation at the time, were hoping to send a statement against Auburn, but the Tigers were able to take two out of three against Tennessee. Unfortunately for Vitello, it was his team's third series loss in a row. To make things worse, the Vols have lost four of their last five series.

Just what in the world is going on with this team? On Monday, the new Top 25 was posted and the Vols now find themselves ranked as the No. 15 squad. If anything, this needs to serve as an eye-opener for everyone inside of the clubhouse. Tennessee needs to wake up and fast.

Tennessee baseball has dropped to No. 15 after a rough week

As you can see from the post above, Texas is No. 1 in the nation, followed by Florida State, LSU, North Carolina and Oregon to round out the Top 5. The Oregon State Beavers are No. 10, with Tennessee several spots behind.

For Vitello, his anger and frustration reached a new level on Sunday. With the Vols down big against the Tigers in the series finale, a missed check-swing call resulted in an Auburn run not too long after. At that point, the Vols went down 6-0.

Tony V erupted on the umps and he was eventually ejected from the showdown. Fans are hoping that perhaps this will serve as a bit of a wake-up call for Tennessee, as the bats have been quiet and the pitching has been inconsistent. Last season, the Vols shocked everyone by winning the College World Series, but a lot is going to have to change if UT is going to want to go on a deep postseason run this time around.