The national media is doing the Tennessee Vols baseball program a big favor
Tennessee Vols fans were a bit surprised on Monday to learn that UT baseball wasn't ranked No. 1 in this week's D1 Top 25 rankings. The Vols are off to an 11-0 start this season after winning all three of their games in the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston this past weekend (including wins […]
Tennessee Vols fans were a bit surprised on Monday to learn that UT baseball wasn't ranked No. 1 in this week's D1 Top 25 rankings.
The Vols are off to an 11-0 start this season after winning all three of their games in the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston this past weekend (including wins against ranked teams in Oklahoma State and Arizona).
Instead of Tennessee at No. 1, D1 has the LSU Tigers at the top of their rankings.
LSU is 11-1 this season with a loss to Omaha.
It doesn't really matter who is ranked No. 1 at this point in the season (it really doesn't matter who is ranked No. 1 at any point in the season).
But based on the results so far this season, it seems clear that Tennessee should be at the top of the rankings (Baseball America agrees as they have the Vols at No. 1).
If anything, though, Tennessee's players and fans should embrace the fact that the Vols are getting slighted a bit early in the season.
The Vols have thrived under head coach Tony Vitello when they play with an edge. It's not like D1 is disrespecting Tennessee by ranking them at No. 2 behind LSU, but it's also clear that the Volunteers still have something to prove in D1's opinion.
Getting through the grind of a baseball season while staying motivated can be tough — especially after getting off to a scorching hot start where everything has seemingly gone perfect for the Vols. Tennessee will eventually run into some adversity. And if the Vols aren't completely locked in when that adversity hits, it could easily lead to a lengthy slump.
The rankings from D1 are a reminder to everyone on Tennessee's roster that there's something to prove every week of the season — because there will always be a few doubters out there regardless of how good you are.
