BSB PREVIEW: #1 Vols Begin Postseason Run by Hosting Knoxville Regional – University of Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 1 national seed Tennessee Volunteers embark on the Road to Omaha on Friday as they begin play in the NCAA Knoxville Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
 
The Big Orange enter the tournament as the top overall seed for the second time in program history with 2022 marking the only other instance. Just like 2022, Tennessee win both the SEC regular season championship and the SEC Tournament title.

The Vols open their postseason run against the No. 4 seed in the Knoxville Regional, Northern Kentucky, who won the Horizon League tournament last week to earn an automatic bid.

NCAA REGIONAL CENTRAL PAGE

For the most up-to-date scores, links, team info and other gameday information such as parking and tickets, visiting the NCAA Knoxville Regional Central Page and the Tennessee Baseball Gameday Information Page.

NCAA KNOXVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Friday, May 31
Game 1 – [2] Southern Miss vs. [3] Indiana | 1 p.m. ET | Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
Game 2 – [1] Tennessee vs. [4] Northern Kentucky  | 7 p.m. ET | Watch (SEC Network) | Listen (Vol Network) | Live Stats

Saturday, June 1

Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | Noon ET

Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 6 p.m. ET

Sunday, June 2

Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | Noon ET

Game 6 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 6 p.m. ET

Monday, June 3

Game 7 (if necessary) – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 | TBD

TICKET INFO

All Tennessee baseball season-ticket holders were awarded the opportunity to purchase postseason tickets for all games taking place at home. Season tickets were sold out for the 2024 season.

A limited number of single-session standing room only tickets will be sold to the general public at the Lindsey Nelson Stadium ticket window starting 90 minutes prior to first pitch of each session. In addition, the first 300 students will receive free admission into Lindsey Nelson Stadium for all postseason contests.

PARKING INFORMATION & ROAD CLOSURES

In an effort to eliminate heavy traffic and promote a safe environment for all fans and staff attending this weekend’s regional, road closures will be in effect for the duration of the tournament. Closures will go into effect on Friday, May 31, and can only be accessed with a valid NCAA parking pass.

Chamique Holdsclaw Dr. and Todd Helton Dr. will be closed from the intersection of Chamique Holdsclaw Dr. and Lake Loudon Blvd. to Todd Helton Dr. and the entrance of lot GF4. Pat Head Summitt Street will be closed to vehicle traffic between Fraternity Park Drive and Todd Helton Drive (Gate 11/the left-field gate near the porches will remain accessible). There will be a walking path on the east side of the street for those fans who are on the south side of the stadium and need to get to the Ticket Office and/or Main Gate. 

Available baseball parking is located for free in lots G16, G3, G4, G5-30, G10, S23 and C22. Parking in campus lots C1 and GF1-4 are available to permit holders only. 

Additional on-street parking is located along West Volunteer Blvd between the intersection of Volunteer Blvd and Todd Helton Dr. and Cumberland Avenue. We encourage all fans to take the temporary road closures on Pat Head Summitt St. into account upon their arrival to campus.

ADA accessible parking is located in marked handicap spaces on Pat Head Summitt St., at the Student Health Center, and in the G16 Volunteer Blvd Garage.

An updated parking map for this weekend can be seen HERE.

BROADCAST INFO

TV/Stream: SEC Network & ESPN+
 

Talent: Clay Matvick (PxP) & Ben McDonald (Analyst)
 
Radio: Vol Network (FM 99.1 / AM 990) | Tennessee Athletics App | UTSports.com | Varsity App
 

Talent: John Wilkerson & Vince Ferrara

The following Vol Network radio affiliates are slated to broadcast this weekend’s Tennessee baseball games. Check your local listings as game coverage varies by station.

Bristol – WOPI (AM 1490 & FM 98.1)

Cleveland – The Buzz! (FM 101.3)                       

Cookeville – WKXD (Sports Radio 104.7)       

Knoxville- The Sports Animal (FM 99.1, AM 990)    

Johnson City – WKPT (AM 1590 & FM 94.3)       

Kingsport – WKTP (AM 1400 & FM 97.7)       

Nashville – WGFX (FM 104.5 The Zone)          

Pulaski – WKSR (FM 107.7, 100.9 AM 1420)

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Prior Appearances: 13 (Most Recent: 2023)
 
Regional Record: 30-13 (.698)
 
Knoxville Regional Record: 20-5 (.800)
 
College World Series Appearances: 6 (1951, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2021, 2023)
 
This will be Tennessee’s 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and mark the eighth time hosting a regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols have won all four of their regionals in Knoxville since the tournament switched to its current four-team format in 1999 and are unbeaten (9-0) in their last three home regionals. In those four regionals (2001, 2005, 2021, 2023), UT has posted a 12-1 overall record and has gone on to advance to the College World Series in three of those four seasons.

NEED TO KNOW

• The Vols are just the third program in Division I history to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament twice in a three-year span, joining Florida (2016 & 2018) and Florida State (2002 and 2003).

  • Tennessee also joins a small group of programs that have earned the No. 1 national seed multiple times, becoming just the seventh to do so since the tournament switched to its current format in 1999, joining Florida, Florida State, Miami, Oregon State, Texas and UCLA.

• Tennessee is set to play in their fifth consecutive NCAA regional, matching the longest regional streak in program history (1993-1997). The Vols have also advanced to three straight NCAA super regionals, the longest such streak in program history.
• UT is the only SEC program and one of just four teams nationally (Stanford, Texas & Virginia) to have appeared in the College World Series in two of the last three seasons (2021 & 2023).
• Just as it did the last time it earned the No. 1 national seed in 2022, Tennessee is coming off capturing the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament crowns. The Vols shared the regular-season title with Kentucky after posting a 22-8 record in league play and went on to win their fifth tournament championship in program history by defeating LSU, 4-3, in last Sunday’s championship game.
• Christian Moore is having one of the greatest single seasons in program history and was named a first-team All-SEC selection and one of 25 semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The junior second baseman won the Triple Crown with his stats in league play, leading the SEC with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs and 41 RBIs in conference play while also leading the league with 57 hits and 123 total bases. Moore finished second in slugging percentage (.925) and fifth in runs scored (37).

  • Entering play this weekend, Moore ranks in the top-25 nationally in hits (5th – 95), home runs (5th – 28), slugging percentage (22nd – .789) and total bases (4th – 194).

• Tennessee has been the nation’s most prolific home run hitting team since the start of the 2021 season, leading all NCAA Division I programs with 528 long balls during that span. In the previous decade before that (2010-2020), the Volunteers totaled just 376 home runs.

  • UT has homered in 54 of its 61 games this season with 147 total round trippers, which leads the nation.
  • The Vols 11 grand slams are tied for the third most in a single season in NCAA history (most in the BBCOR bat era) and the most ever by an SEC team. The NCAA single-season record is 14 by Arizona State in 2003 (68 games). Nine different players have hit a grand slam for the Vols this season.

• The Vols’ bullpen has played a major role in the team’s overall success this season, as the team’s relievers have boasted a 35-5 record while tying the UT single-season mark for saves with 18. UT’s bullpen has a combined ERA of 3.49 while racking up 336 strikeouts compared to just 102 walks in 289.0 innings of work.

  • In the month of May, UT’s bullpen has combined to post a 9-0 record with seven saves and a 2.40 ERA in 82.1 innings with 108 strikeouts and just 22 walks while holding opposing hitters to a .227 batting average.

• Tennessee is 149-24 when playing at Lindsey Nelson Stadium since the start of the 2020 season, including a 35-3 record at home this year with six series sweeps, marking the program’s fourth consecutive season with 30 or more home victories.

  • UT’s 35 home victories this season are the most in the country entering play this weekend while their .921 winning percentage at home ranks fourth nationally.

ON DECK

Should Tennessee advance out of the Knoxville Regional, it would host an NCAA Super Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium next weekend against the winner of the NCAA Greenville Regional.

The complete 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket can be found HERE.