Although many of today's Tennessee baseball players had yet to reach kindergarten the last time the Volunteers qualified for the College World Series, there is not a content feeling within the roster.
Tennessee has won five consecutive NCAA tournament games, with Sunday's 15-6 pasting of six-time national champion LSU in the super regional inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium serving as its most impressive showing of this surge. Yet minutes after the celebration on the field, Vols players were already turning their focus to the eight-team extravaganza in Omaha, Nebraska.
"Even though it was a nice celebration, it was expected," Vols left fielder Evan Russell said Sunday night on a Zoom call. "We have a nice group of guys and a lot of guys who want to win, and I don't think anyone wants to stop playing with each other. I don't think anyone is ready for this to end, and I think there are a lot of guys ready to get back to work and see what Omaha is about."
Third baseman Jake Rucker quickly echoed that sentiment, adding, "We're going to be ready to go."
Tennessee (50-16) learned its opening CWS opponent Monday, with Virginia advancing with a 5-2 downing of Dallas Baptist. The Vols and Cavaliers are scheduled to vie Sunday afternoon at 2 on ESPN2.
The stunning departure of top-ranked and top-seeded Arkansas on Sunday night has left Tennessee among the CWS favorites. The Vols are now the highest-ranked team remaining, according to the USA Today coaches poll, and they are the second-highest seed left behind Texas.
Of course, nobody is discounting reigning national champion Vanderbilt, which swept East Carolina in Nashville's super regional behind the 1-2 pitching punch of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter.
"I think the next thing is the most important thing, which means we have a chance to make it to the national championship series," Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said. "You've got two groups of four, and it's two different tournaments, and the winner of each of those tournaments will meet for the championship.
"We've got a chance to win another tournament, which we were almost able to do in Hoover, and we've won our last two. It will be fun to be in that environment and take on that challenge."
Texas and Monday night's super regional winner between Mississippi State and Notre Dame are the other two teams in addition to Virginia on Tennessee's side of the bracket in Omaha.
Former LSU coach Paul Mainieri, whose Tigers went 0-5 against Tennessee this season, believes the Vols are a legitimate threat to bring home their first title in the sport.
"Their pitching is really good, and that's what a lot of people don't give them enough credit for," Mainieri said Sunday night. "To pitch in this ballpark is not easy - there were 10 home runs hit in this game. In that ballpark in Omaha, anybody who pitches the ball well - you're not going to hit 10 home runs in a game. There might not be 10 home runs hit in the entire tournament over there. If you throw the ball over the plate, and you've got good stuff, you've got a chance to win over there.
"Tony has done a terrific job here. They've had history in the program here, when Chris Burke played and Todd Helton played, and even years before that. It's always been a sleeping giant, and he's brought it back to life."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.