Tennessee baseball is still fighting to host during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament when it begins next week.
The latest Field of 64 projections have Tennessee on the outside looking in coming off its win over Alabama in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. Baseball America projects the Vols as a No. 2 seed and playing in the Tallahassee Regional with host Florida State, who is forecasted as the No. 10 national seed.
“The SEC maintained its grip as the nation’s leading conference with 13 bids in Baseball America’s latest Field of 64 projection, while the ACC held steady with 10 bids,” the publication wrote Thursday morning. “The Big 12 (eight), Big Ten (three) and Sun Belt (three) also received three or more bids. The Big East and the Southland received two bids in the latest projection, including their automatic qualifiers.
“Ole Miss, which was projected as a No. 2 seed on May 21, stepped into a hosting position while Alabama moved behind the hosting line and into a two-seed position.”
Baseball America projects Tennessee to open in the Tallahassee Regional against No. 3-seed Oklahoma State. Bethune-Cookman is the projected No. 4 seed in the regional.
13 of the 16 schools in the SEC are projected to make the NCAA Tournament. Texas (No. 1), Arkansas (No. 2), LSU (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 5), Georgia (No. 6) and Auburn (No. 7) are all predicted to be top eight seeds, while Ole Miss is projected to be a host as the No. 14 overall seed. Oklahoma (No. 2), Florida (No. 2), Alabama (No. 2), Mississippi State (No. 3), and Kentucky (No. 3) are also currently projected to make the tournament.
Our latest Field of 64 projection:
Last Four In
Connecticut (Big East)
UTRGV (Southland)
Troy (Sun Belt)
Notre Dame (ACC)First Four Out
Western Kentucky (CUSA)
Virginia (ACC)
Cal Poly (Big West)
Creighton (Big East) https://t.co/afLCBs6HzP— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 22, 2025
Up Next
No. 8-seed Tennessee resumes play in the SEC Tournament when it squares off against No. 1 Texas in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. SEC Pitcher of the Year Liam Doyle is expected to start for the Vols on the mound.
The Defending Champs
Tennessee will punch its sixth straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament when the bracket is released during the selection show on Monday, May 26. Super regionals will be held Friday, June 6 through Monday, June 9. The 77th College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska will begin on Friday, June 13.
Vitello led Tennessee to its first national championship in its seventh appearance at the Men’s College World Series last season. It was UT’s first appearance in the CWS Finals since 1951 when it finished as the runner-up to Oklahoma.
Tennessee became the first No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament to win the national championship since Miami did so in 1999. UT also became the first SEC team to reach the 60-win mark in a single season and just the fourth conference team to win the SEC regular season title, SEC Tournament title and the NCAA Men’s College World Series in the same year.
Vitello’s first national championship during his seventh season as head coach at Tennessee came in his fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, and in its third trip to Omaha in four seasons. UT is the only SEC program and one of just two teams nationally (Virginia) to have appeared in the College World Series in three of the last four seasons (2021, 2023, 2024). Tennessee just completed its first back-to-back trips.
Tennessee is 27-11 in five NCAA Tournament appearances under Vitello. His 27 NCAA Tournament wins are tied for the most in UT history with Rod Delmonico, who is the program’s all-time wins leader (699). Delmonico went 27-19 in eight tournament appearances to lead the Vols to the College World Series three times (1995, 2001, 2005).
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