HOOVER, Ala. -- Tennessee opens up SEC Tournament play Wednesday at the Hoover Met, looking to build off its best regular season in a quarter of a century while winning its first conference tournament game since 2007.

Here’s everything you need to know before Tennessee begins play in Hoover.

SEC Tournament has been unkind to the Vols

Tony Vitello and his Tennessee program have accomplished a plethora of “first time since” in his four years in Knoxville, returning to the SEC and NCAA Tournament, winning road games in bunches and winning the SEC East.

Tennessee will have the chance to break another poor stretch as they look to win its first SEC Tournament game since 2007.

The SEC Tournament hasn’t been kind to Tennessee in the 21st century but even more telling is the fact that UT has made the event just seven times this century. Prior to Texas A&M and Missouri joining the conference in 2012 just eight teams made the conference tournament. That number jumped to 12 with the addition of the Aggies and Tigers.

When Tennessee has made the event it hasn’t gone well for them. The Vols have gone winless in the tournament in four of its seven tries and holds a 4-10 record in the tournament since the turn of the century. UT’s 2005 team is the only team to make the semifinals of the tournament this century.

Even in the golden years of Tennessee baseball (1995-97) success in the conference tournament was far from a given. While the Vols won the SEC East tournament in ‘95, the expansion of the tournament to the whole conference saw Tennessee go a combined 0-4 in ‘96 and ‘97.

How Tennessee got here

Luckily for Tennessee fans, the Vols have bucked all the negative trends in the program’s history this season going 42-14 (20-10 SEC), the most overall and conference wins since the 1995 season.

Tennessee lost just two series (Vanderbilt and Arkansas) this season while splitting a four-game set as well (Indiana State). The Vols won 11 series overall including eight in SEC play and went 11-2 in midweek games.

Tennessee earned the two-seed and first round bye in the SEC Tournament thanks to its first SEC East title since 1997.

For much of the season Tennessee was led by a grind it out offensive approach and a toughness that pushed them to a 9-6 record in one run games and 4-0 in extra inning games. The second half of SEC play, Tennessee improved on the mound with development and consistency from its three weekend starters. The big improvements came on the offensive end though, as the team’s most talented players— Max Ferguson, Jordan Beck, Connor Pavolony— made huge strides.

In Tennessee’s first 15 SEC games the Vols averaged 5.4 runs per game. In the final 15 conference games the Vols averaged 7.7 runs per game.

“It’s an offense that’s pretty diverse,” Vitello said. “Their portfolio is as diverse as you’d want your stock portfolio to be. We’ve done things where we’ve socked the ball out of the park. We’ve played small ball, we’ve hustled, we’ve done grind on the starter a little bit. We’ve done a variety of things to score and stay in games as it relates to the position players.”

Tennessee’s path to a tournament title

When Tennessee clinched the SEC East title they also clinched the No. 2 seed and a first round bye in the SEC Tournament.

By the time the Vols take the field Wednesday the tournament will be down to eight teams. The bracket will be divided into two four-team double elimination tournaments with the winner of each playing a single conference title game.

First up for Tennessee is a matchup with Alabama, who defeated South Carolina in the first round of the tournament Tuesday. The 10th-seeded Crimson Tide went 29-12 (7-12 SEC) in the regular season and enter the week in Hoover needing a strong showing to make the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee took two out of three over Alabama in the regular season but the Crimson Tide were without pitcher Connor Prielipp. Alabama started Tyler Ras (7-4, 5.36 ERA) against South Carolina.

“At this point in the season there’s more players than coaches— they have control of this thing,” Vitello said. “They seem to roll with that theme of focusing on the day but with Alabama or South Carolina— I could bring up other teams too— I don’t think they forget about the fact that it was one swing and the thing goes differently. Sean Hunley is out there composed and gets the last out at Alabama with both dugouts sweating like crazy and then the exact same with South Carolina. … I don’t think these kids forget that stuff and two, in the postseason you can throw it all out the window and expect to get everybody’s best punch.”

Also on Tennessee’s side of the bracket is No. 3 seed Mississippi State and No. 6 seed Florida.

The Bulldogs went 40-13 (20-10 SEC) in the regular season behind a strong pitching staff that ranked third in the SEC in team ERA and the play of SEC Player of the Year Tanner Allen.

Florida went 35-19 (17-13 SEC) in the regular season after being the preseason number one team in the country. The Gators have struggled on the road and in the field, ranking last in the league in fielding percentage, but have a plethora of talent, strong pitching depth and a balanced offense. Tennessee took two out of three over the Gators in the regular season.

Tennessee will have to win three games without losing two to make it out of its side of the bracket and into the SEC Tournament final.

Tennessee’s pitching plan

Tennessee will start the week in Hoover throwing LHP Will Heflin against the Crimson Tide. Heflin last pitched Friday against South Carolina but the redshirt senior threw just 60 pitches in the loss.

That will set up the Vols to throw starter Chad Dallas on Thursday, keeping him in the same routine he’s in most weeks.

It becomes important for Tennessee to win one of its first two games so that freshman Blade Tidwell can get a start and to stay in the routine and rhythm he has been in the last four weeks when the Loretto, Tennessee native has really come on.

Vitello also didn’t rule out throwing Tidwell or Dallas out of the bullpen if they needed to get either innings.

“You want him to compete this week, there's no doubt about it,” Vitello said of Tidwell. “You’d like to label it perfectly or it’s the same days he’s been throwing and the same amount of pitches and have a successful outing but that’s not the world we live in. Arguably the best outing of the year for him he lost— or took the L in that Arkansas game. It’s not going to be pretty in the postseason and that’s something we talked to our guys— be prepared to do things that are outside of the norm. For him, he already knows he may come in in relief this tournament. Other guys know that as well. Relievers may start, starters may relieve but the bottom line is we do want to keep him active without over taxing him.”

Don’t expect Tennessee to tax Dallas or Tidwell’s arms this week as well as bullpen weapons Sean Hunley and Redmond Walsh.

The SEC Tournament is a marathon and Tennessee won’t do anything to jeopardize its pitching going into the NCAA Tournament next week. Expect to see more of the middle and bottom of the Vols’ bullpen this week, especially if Tennessee makes a deep run.