Where Vols Are Headed Per Latest Field Of 64 Projections

Image: Tennessee Athletics

By Jackson Freeman

Less than a calendar year removed from winning the College World Series, The Vols currently sit as the number two seed of the Atlanta Regional in D1Baseball’s most recent Field of 64 projection.

The Atlanta Regional consists of Georgia Tech (1), Tennessee (2), Arizona State (3), and Columbia (4).

This could be a huge draw for Tennessee, as Georgia Tech is currently slated as the lowest host seed, or the 16th overall seed.

Georgia Tech (39-16) clinched the ACC regular season title following their series win against Duke this past weekend.

The Yellow Jackets are led by 5 time ACC Coach of the Year Danny Hall and elite hitter Drew Burress. Burress, only a sophomore, is D1Baseball’s reigning Freshman of the Year, and hit for .343 with 16 homers this season.

The Jackets’ pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.63, good for 41st in the country. 

Arizona State and Columbia pose far less of a challenge to the Vols as Georgia Tech will, but neither team can be overlooked.

The Sun Devils (35-21) finished their regular season in a 3-game skid against an average Oklahoma State team, being swept. The Devils’ pitching staff averages a 5.33 ERA, which slots them at 92nd in all of college baseball.

Columbia (27-17) on the other hand, is the winner of their last 7 games, and haven’t lost a game since April. However, Columbia’s pitching is suspect to say the least, with their pitching staff averaging an abysmal 6.65 ERA, good for 200th in the NCAA.

Tennessee has the offensive firepower to beat anyone, but the main questions will surround their pitching staff.

Luckily for the Vols, their projected opponents all have relatively high ERAs. 

All it takes is a couple wins in a row, which is very possible against this projected group of teams, for the Vols to get hot and be right back in Omaha.