KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball will start the 2022 season ranked 19th in the D1Baseball.com Preseason Top 25.
This marks the second preseason top 25 ranking for the Vols, who checked in at No. 21 in the Perfect Game Preseason Top 25. Preseason polls from USA Today, Baseball America and the NCBWA have yet to be released.
The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with eight teams ranked in the preseason top 25, including six in the top 10. The full D1Baseball.com Preseason Poll can be seen HERE.
UT is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, posting a 50-18 record and advancing to the College World Series for the first time since 2005. Tennessee was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in 2021 – its highest ranking in program history – and finished the season ranked as high as No. 5 in the polls. The Big Orange finished the year ranked sixth in the final D1Baseball.com rankings.
The Vols hosted a regional for the first time since 2005 and hosted a super regional for the first time ever, posting a perfect 5-0 record in the NCAA tournament’s first two rounds before making the program’s fifth trip to Omaha. UT reached the 50-win mark for just the third time in program history and finished the season tied for the most wins in Division I college baseball.
Tennessee also posted its best finish in conference play since 1995, going 20-10 in league games to win the SEC Eastern Division for the first time since 1997. UT carried that success into the postseason, advancing to the SEC Tournament Championship game for the first time since 1995. The Vols also had a program record five players earn postseason All-America honors in 2021.
Tennessee returns 24 letterwinners from last season’s Omaha team, including “Super Seniors” in Evan Russell, Luc Lipcius and Redmond Walsh. The Big Orange also added a handful of marquee transfers and welcomed the nation’s No. 5 ranked signing class according to Baseball America and Perfect Game. Russell, sophomore pitcher Blade Tidwell and junior outfielder Jordan Beck have already garnered preseason All-America honors for this coming year.
UT begins its 2022 campaign at home on the weekend of Feb. 18-20 against Georgia Southern. The Vols’ home slate features 37 home games, including SEC series against South Carolina (March 18-20), Missouri (April 8-10), Alabama (April 15-17), Auburn (April 29-May 1) and Georgia (May 13-15). UT’s full 2022 schedule can be seen HERE.
For season ticket information, visit AllVols.com or call the Tennessee Athletics ticket office at (865) 656-1200 or 1 (800) 332-VOLS. Information on single-game tickets will be released in the near future.
-UT Athletics
