The Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 17 in Baseball America's preseason poll, reflecting the respect Tony Vitello's program gained last season during its first run to the College World Series since 2005.
That's the good news.
Then there is that schedule containing a date with No. 1 Texas in Houston and Southeastern Conference road series against No. 2 Vanderbilt, No. 3 Mississippi State, No. 6 Florida and No. 9 Ole Miss.
"When that stuff comes, that will be a challenge, but it doesn't matter where you go in our league," Vitello said in a recent news conference to preview the 2022 season. "The facilities are great. The fans are rowdy, and the opponent is going to be similar to you on paper.
"It's going to be a grind, and our job right now is to prepare for that grind in our training as best as possible."
Tennessee is scheduled to open Friday, Feb. 18, against Georgia Southern inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols used their share of late-inning drama last season to produce a 50-18 record that included a 20-10 mark in SEC play. They climbed to No. 2 nationally, the highest ranking in program history, and wound up No. 5 in the USA Today poll.
Vitello parlayed last year's success into a monstrous raise, going from $550,000 annually to $1.5 million, and this season's team will have plenty of returning components but some significant question marks as well.
"I don't feel like we have to cram for a test at this point," Vitello said. "We kind of had that mentality when we first got back. For now, it's kind of reviewing our notes."
Tennessee's outfield last season consisted of Jordan Beck in right field, Drew Gilbert in center and Evan Russell in left, but Russell is set to be this year's primary catcher. Vitello said that Beck continues to be impressive at the plate after amassing 15 home runs and 64 RBIs last season, and he compared Gilbert's energy to that of Lenny Dykstra.
"Drew has been running into the wall too many times," Vitello said.
The biggest concern facing the Vols is the health of sophomore pitcher Blade Tidwell, who led the team in starts last season with 18 and compiled a 10-3 record with a 3.74 earned run average. Tidwell was projected to be at the top of the rotation but is experiencing shoulder soreness and must go through inactivity before restarting a throwing progression.
Vitello expects Tidwell to pitch at some point this season but added, "There will be no rush."
Ethan Smith, who recently transferred from Vanderbilt, could be a candidate to help fill that void but must first be cleared by the NCAA.
The more immediate possibility is senior Camden Sewell, the former Cleveland High standout. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Sewell went 4-1 last season with a 2.82 ERA, collected four saves and racked up 46 strikeouts in 51 innings.
"Camden Sewell solidified himself as a Swiss Army Knife who we can use in a lot of different ways due to his experience," Vitello said.
Chase Dollander and Hollis Fanning are also arms that Vitello will be counting on this season, while Redmond Walsh will get the first crack at being the closer. The Vols will have four weeks to iron out matters before league competition begins, and Vitello plans to use every one of them.
"Nonconference is always going to be a time when we experiement a little bit and do whatever we've got to do to have as many questions answered as possible going into SEC play," he said.
Nkamhoua shelved
The ankle injury suffered by Tennessee junior forward Olivier Nkamhoua during Saturday afternoon's 81-57 win at South Carolina turned out to be more serious than expected, as the 6-8, 232-pounder from Finland will have to undergo surgery and likely will miss the rest of the season.
"It's really sad for all us with Olivier, because he has become such a huge part of our program and this team," Vols coach Rick Barnes said Monday in a news conference. "He was getting more and more comfortable understanding so much about where he was as a player and what he needed to do for our team.
"What this does is it opens up minutes that other people can grab. Every guy is here because we recruited him to be here, and whoever gets those minutes will be the best defensive player or players."
Nkamhoua has started all 22 games for the No.19 Vols and has averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest.
"Thank you to everyone and all the prayers and the wishes," Nkamhoua posted Monday on Twitter. "Time to lock in for the bounce back."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.