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The Sultan Of Swat
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Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) SEC Tournament
VS
Texas A&M Aggies (0-0) SEC Tournament
HOOVER, Ala. – Ready to begin postseason play, the ninth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers travel to Hoover, Alabama, for the 2023 SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium starting on Tuesday afternoon.
The Vols (38-18, 16-14 SEC) enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 seed Texas A&M (32-23, 14-16 SEC) in the first round of the tournament. The first game is single elimination, with double elimination beginning on Wednesday should the Vols defeat the Aggies.
Tennessee swept the regular-season matchup with Texas A&M back in March and enter the tournament with back-to-back series wins over ranked opponents and teams with top-five RPIs in Kentucky and South Carolina. The Vols themselves sit at No. 16 in the RPI as of May 21.
For the most updated information on the 2023 SEC Tournament, visit the conference's website.
SCHEDULE/PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Game 1 – Tuesday, May 23 vs. Texas A&M (approx. 1:30 p.m. ET) [SEC Network]
RHP Seth Halvorsen (2-2, 3.96 ERA) vs. LHP Troy Wansing (2-3, 5.98 ERA)
BROADCAST INFO
The action all week long will be broadcast on SEC Network with Dave Neal (PxP) and Ben McDonald (Analyst) on the call for the day session and Tom Hart (PxP) and Kyle Peterson (Analyst) calling the night session. The broadcast can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch.
Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball, John Wilkerson, call the action on the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990) or via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App.
VOLS SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Overall Record: 32-27
in Hoover: 11-16
Other Sites: 21-11
Last 10 Games: 7-3
Last Appearance: 2022 (4-0; champion)
Tournament Appearances: 19
Tournament Titles: 4 (1993, 1994, 1995, 2022)
NOTABLE
VOLS ROLLING INTO POSTSEASON
The Vols enter postseason play red-hot after a strong second half to SEC play. Tennessee won 15 of its last 19 regular-season games and went 11-4 over its final 15 conference games with four series wins in that stretch, including their first road series win last weekend at No. 9/13 South Carolina.
RECENT HISTORY OF SUCCESS IN HOOVER
Postseason play begins as Tennessee will defend ITS crown after winning last year's tournament, ending a 27-year drought. The Vols outscored their four opponents, 35-10, and became just the second team in tournament history to never trail in a game, joining 2010 LSU.
Tennessee is 7-2 in its last two SEC Tournament appearances after going 4-2 and reaching the final in 2021 before winning it all last season.
Prior to this current run of success in Hoover, the Vols had lost six straight SEC Tournament contests from 2007-2019 and had never advanced to the double-elimination rounds since the current format began in 2014.
Unlike the prior two seasons, UT will have to play in Tuesday's single-elimination round as they enter the tournament as the No. 7 overall seed. No team has ever won the SEC Tournament in its current format (since 2013) after having to play in the opening round.
VOLS ARE BATTLE TESTED
Tennessee had no shortage of series against top-end competition this season after playing seven series against ranked opponents. UT won four of those seven series against ranked foes, including taking two of three on the road against No. 9 South Carolina last weekend to close out the regular season.
The Big Orange went 12-9 overall against ranked teams in the regular season, including a 9-3 mark home after their series win over No. 15 Kentucky two weeks ago. UT is 61-52 overall against ranked teams under head coach Tony Vitello.
The Vols played four consecutive series against top-five foes and faced No. 2 Vandy, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 2 Florida, No. 1 LSU and No. 12 Texas A&M in five straight weekend series, posting an 8-7 record during that stretch. Since Vitello became UT's head coach in 2018, the Vols have posted 28 victories over teams ranked in the top 10 and seven wins over top-ranked teams - LSU in 2023, Ole Miss (x3) in 2022, Arkansas in 2021, Texas Tech in 2020 and Florida in 2018.
OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS
Tennessee has been tearing the cover off the ball down the stretch, batting .318 as a team with 89 extra-base hits and 45 home runs over the last month (19 games), posting an 15-4 record in that stretch. Over that stretch, UT is outscoring its opponents 169-84, averaging 8.9 runs per game with 205 hits and a .602 slugging percentage as a team.
The Vols have scored double-digit runs in eight of their last 14 SEC games and 10 of their last 18 games overall. UT has also recorded double-digit hits in 15 of its last 18 games entering the SEC Tournament.
Two-out hitting has been a staple for the Big Orange as of late. In its last 12 wins, Tennessee has scored 71 of its 163 runs with two outs while batting .326 (62-for-190) with two outs during that stretch
ON DECK
Following the conclusion of the SEC Tournament, the Vols will await their postseason destination for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show will air on Monday, May 29 at noon ET on ESPN2. The 16 regional host sites will be revealed on Sunday, May 28 through social media (@NCAABaseball) and on the ESPN bottom line beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.
MATCHUP INFO UPDATED
