Tennessee looks ahead to NCAA Tournament after short stay in Hoover
HOOVER, Ala. — Despite taking home the SEC Regular Season and Tournament titles in 2022, Tennessee wasn't able to capture the same magic this year.
Instead, the Vols had a solid regular season that was followed by a one-game stay in the SEC Tournament.
7-seed Tennessee found itself in a match vs. 10-seed Texas A&M in Hoover on Tuesday to begin the event.
However, the Vols only managed to record one hit while losing 3-0.
Although Tennessee had the intention of making an SEC Tournament run, coach Tony Vitello sees the benefit in the long run of an early exit.
This gives more time for his players to rest and regroup before the NCAA Tournament begins.
"I think in prior history, some teams have benefitted from (early exits)" said Vitello. "... Gas some guys out, maybe it costs you in a regional, or you can get some guys fresh and get them sorted and it could benefit you. A lot of it is probably how guys' mindsets are between now and then because you know their bodies are going to get rested."
Recently, teams who have taken early exits have gone all the way.
Last year, Ole Miss won the national title after losing in the first day of the SEC Tournament. Mississippi State also won the championship after two quick losses in Hoover the season prior.
Although there have been champions to make runs in both tournaments, the extra days of preparation have proven to sometimes be helpful.
"There's a lot of SEC teams I think that have benefitted from going home from here," said Vitello. "Everybody is here competing to win.
"But it's kind of a good segue on accident. We'll talk about delicate balance early. In my opinion, I think the league prepares you for everything. There's nothing you have not seen. No fan is going to make a comment, no amount of fans, no noise, no facility, no pitching, no hitter. You're going to see everything in this league, so it prepares you. I think that's one of the reasons you often see a bunch of teams from our league in Omaha."
For Tennessee to see this success that previous SEC teams have paved the way for, the team must stay together.
At times on Tuesday, there was frustration when things weren't falling in the Vols' favor.
To keep a proper mindset, they feel that they must keep things simple.
"Just battle together," said pitcher Seth Halvorsen. "We're all one team. Just get ahead on the pitching side and then get your pitch on the hitting side. Just keep it simple and fight for all 27 outs."
Now, Tennessee will wait for Monday to hear its name called in the NCAA Tournament selection show.
The Vols were the No. 1 overall seed last year before falling at home in the Super Regional.
They likely won't have the advantage of playing at home this season, though. The loss to Texas A&M will make the path to hosting a regional extremely unlikely.
Despite this, Tennessee has the roster to make the second College World Series under Vitello. However, another poor showing such as Tuesday's could lead to an early exit.
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