Quote from recruit shows exactly why the Tennessee Vols are viewed as the top program in college baseball
If you would've told me before COVID (pre 2020) that the Tennessee Vols would be the "it" program in college baseball in just a few years, I probably would've laughed at you. It's not that I thought Tennessee wasn't capable of having a top college baseball program, it's just that unseating the longtime powerhouse programs […]
If you would've told me before COVID (pre 2020) that the Tennessee Vols would be the "it" program in college baseball in just a few years, I probably would've laughed at you.
It's not that I thought Tennessee wasn't capable of having a top college baseball program, it's just that unseating the longtime powerhouse programs in college baseball has been a near-impossible task in the past.
But here we are a few years later and Tennessee is undoubtedly the "it" program in college baseball.
The Volunteers are the defending national champs and they're about to make their fifth straight appearance in a Super Regional.
The next best active streak in the sport is two Super Regional appearances in a row.
Tennessee went from being an afterthought to a giant in the sport that every talented baseball recruit seemingly wants to play for.
And a quote from new Vols commit Tyler Myatt, one of the most coveted junior college players in the nation, perfectly illustrates Tennessee's current standing in college baseball.
"People say LSU is the powerhouse of the SEC," said Myatt to GoVols247. "I don't really believe that now. Just because Tennessee has been the top team the last four years, no matter what."
It's not really possible to dominate college baseball in the way that Alabama dominated college football for years. But the Vols are certainly the most consistent contender in the sport right now.
And as a result, the Vols are pretty much getting whatever player they want.
For example, Ole Miss won a national championship in 2022 and yet they couldn't convince LHP Liam Doyle and infielder Andrew Fischer to stick around in Oxford this past offseason.
“Me and Andrew [Fischer] took, wouldn’t say a risk, but a smart decision entering the transfer portal this year to come to a spot where we knew we wanted to win,” said Doyle after Tennessee's win against Wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional final. “That’s all it was about. We wanted to win. We wanted to come to a spot that has won in the past."
I have no idea how long Tennessee will be the "it" college baseball program — there aren't any signs of the Vols' momentum slowing anytime soon — but that's not important.
Andy Bernard said on The Office that he wished there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.
For Tennessee baseball, these are the future good old days. Soak it in and enjoy it.
