Tennessee’s top-ranked baseball team has racked up 50 victories this season, with the Volunteers having won the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and last weekend’s SEC tournament title in Hoover, Alabama.
Come Friday night, that will all be irrelevant.
When the Vols (50-11) take the field for their NCAA tournament Knoxville Regional opener against Northern Kentucky (35-22) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, they will simply be one of 64 teams vying for the national championship. They are definitely among the favorites with the top overall seeding, but past accomplishments don’t always guarantee future successes.
“It’s the start of a new weekend,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said Wednesday afternoon in a news conference, “and it’s the start of a new tournament, which can kind of feel like a new season. What happened in the regular season was great, but it’s over with.
“What happened in Hoover was a lot of fun, but it’s over with. This is a fresh start.”