OMAHA, Neb. — Tennessee baseball begins the College World Series against a familiar foe on Saturday when the Vols battle No. 5 LSU at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
Tennessee previously met the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La. during the regular season, when LSU claimed two games in the three-game set and Tennessee avoided the sweep with a convincing effort in game three.
The Vols emerged out of the Hattiesburg Super Regional with a 5-0 win in game three against Southern Miss in a series that was plagued by weather delays, but UT's pitching staff and timely hitting carried the team to its second College World Series in three years and sixth appearance overall.
LSU has not lost a game in the NCAA Tournament this postseason and has gone 5-0 on its path to its first College World Series appearance since 2017 when the team was also the CWS runner-up. The Tigers have claimed six national championships with their last coming in 2009, and have made 19 trips to the College World Series in program history.
The Tigers are led by the dangerous duo of outfielder Dylan Crews and pitcher Paul Skenes, who could very possibly be the first two picks in the upcoming MLB Draft. Crews is batting .433 this season with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs, while Skenes is second in the nation with a 1.77 ERA and has struck out 188 batters over 107 innings pitched.
The Tennessee defense drove its success in the final two games of its Super Regional matchup against Southern Miss. The Vols allowed a USM home run in the third inning of game two of the Hattiesburg Super Regional and shut the door from that point. Tennessee held the Golden Eagles scoreless for the remaining 15 innings of play and scored 13 unanswered runs to defeat Southern Miss in two consecutive games.
The Vols have never faced LSU in the College World Series, but the two teams met in the postseason two seasons ago with a CWS on the line. Tennessee swept the Tigers in the Knoxville Super Regional in 2021 to book a trip to Omaha.
Tennessee will square off against the Tigers to kick off the College World Series on Saturday, June 17 at 7:40 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.
