Tennessee and Florida State will play round two at the College World Series on Wednesday afternoon.
The Volunteers are hoping there isn’t a need for round three.
Florida State earned a second crack at the top-seeded Vols on Tuesday, when the No. 8 Seminoles defeated No. 4 North Carolina 9-5 in an elimination game. Tennessee and Florida State met last Friday night, with the Seminoles jumping out to a 9-4 lead before the Vols rallied with four ninth-inning runs to turn an 11-8 deficit into a dramatic 12-11 triumph.
“I can’t wait,” Florida State coach Link Jarrett said in a news conference when asked about the rematch. “They’re really good. I’ve dealt with that program at their place in the super regional two years ago, and I thought it was one of the most talented college baseball teams I’ve ever seen. This one is right there in that same conversation.
“That game was very close to the pendulum swinging our way and it did not. It was tough.”
Tennessee and Florida State are scheduled to vie inside Charles Schwab Field Omaha at 3 on ESPN.
The Vols followed Friday’s thriller with Sunday night’s 6-1 downing of North Carolina and need just one victory over FSU to reach the best-of-three championship series. Should the Seminoles prevail Wednesday, the two teams would play again Thursday for the right to emerge from the four-team bracket that had Virginia bounced first before UNC’s dismissal.
Vols players had to adjust to not having games Monday and Tuesday, with that being a reward for the program’s first 2-0 start in its College World Series history.
“A bunch of us went to the zoo yesterday,” catcher Cal Stark told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “We hang out in the rooms and play video games. It’s our last week together as a team, so we’re trying to take advantage of that.”
Zander Sechrist, who has worked at least six innings in three of his last four outings, will start Wednesday.
“Last year, he didn’t get the opportunity to throw here,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said, “so for my piece of mind, I’m anxious to see him out there on the mound.”
It was not immediately known who would take the mound for Florida State, with Jarrett stating, “If anybody wants to ask me who is starting, just save it, because I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”
Vitello addressed the health of center fielder Hunter Ensley, who slammed into the wall to make a second-inning catch against the Tar Heels but was pulled after four innings.
“He’s definitely better today than he was Monday,” Vitello said. “It was good for the guys to earn a day of rest. He was involved in everything today.
“I don’t know if he could have gone full speed. He was cautious and didn’t go full speed.”
Florida State seemed to be in really good shape Friday night when the Seminoles recorded their 26th out against the Vols. Four two-out hits by Tennessee prevented them from ever getting the 27th.
“They’re really good,” Jarrett said. “There is no wiggle room in the lineup. They have a variety of arms. They’re talented. They’ve been here. They played in this stadium a lot, but we are so excited.
“I recognize the difficulty of beating that team. It takes everything you’ve got, and you have to finish.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.