Nine days before Tennessee begins the defense of its SEC and national title, the Vols were picked second in the SEC by league coaches.

The poll, released Wednesday, voted Tennessee No. 2 behind No. 1 Texas A&M, eight months after the Vols beat the Aggies in the College World Series final for the program first national championship.

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Tennessee received one first-place vote.

The Vols, who open their 2025 campaign on Feb. 14 in the first of a three-game series against Hofstra at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, are consensus top 5 team in the major preseason polls, including No. 2 in the NCBWA and USA TODAY rankings.

The SEC will move to 16 teams in 2025 with the additions of newcomers Texas and Oklahoma. Counting the Longhorns and Sooners, the league will boast 11 teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season with four finishing their seasons in the CWS in Omaha.

1. Texas A&M (10)

2. Tennessee (1)

3. Arkansas (3)

4. LSU (1)

5. Florida (1)

6. Georgia

7. Vanderbilt

8. Texas

9. Mississippi State

10. Kentucky

11. Oklahoma

12. Auburn

13. Alabama

14. South Carolina

15. Ole Miss

16. Missouri

Tennessee will have a number of key pieces to replace from its championship run.

Among those returning are infielder Dean Curley and right-handed pitcher Nate Snead. Both players were one of three Tennessee players that were named to the All-SEC First Team.

Ole Miss transfer pitcher Liam Doyle was also tabbed to the First Team.

The Vols tied Texas A&M for a league-best six players on the All-SEC teams, with returning outfielder Hunter Ensley, infielder Andrew Fischer and infielder Gavin Kilen being named to the Second Team.

Curley was instrumental at short stop as a freshman last season. Defensively, he had 76 put-outs, 139 assists and finished with a .935 fielding percentage. At the plate, Curley accounted for 51 runs, 50 RBI, 12 home runs, 10 doubles and one triple.

Snead was a fixture out of the bullpen, but is competing for a spot in the starting rotation after tossing 61 strikeouts in 75.1 innings for a 3.11 ERA in his first season with the program as a transfer from Wichita State.

Tennessee added a number of other transfers that are expected to contribute in 2025. Doyle, a left-handed pitcher that began his career at Coastal Carolina, appeared in 16 games and made 11 starts at Ole Miss in 2024. He led the Rebels in strikeouts with 84.

Another Ole Miss transfer, Fischer could fill the void left by Billy Amick at third base where he played 43 games for the Rebels last season. He was an All-SEC Second Team selection as a utility player.

Kilen is another player that was brought in to bolster the Vols' infield. He spent the previous two seasons at Louisville and started 54 games at short stop as a sophomore. Offensively, he drove in 41 runs and led the Cardinals hits, doubles and total bases.

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