Three ESPN analysts pick No. 1 Tennessee to win the College World Series
It has been 25 years since the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament has won the College World Series, with the last program to do so being Miami in 1999. Still, that didn’t slow down three ESPN analysts from picking No. 1 Tennessee to win a title.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, Mike Rooney and Chris Burke all picked Tennessee Baseball to win the College World Series, which begins Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
The Vols (55-12), the No. 1 overall seed for the second time in three years, faces No. 8 Florida State (47-15) at 7 p.m. Eastern Time Friday, with the game televised by ESPN.
Tennessee back in College World Series for second straight year, third time in four seasons
Tennessee is back in the College World Series for the second straight year, the third time in four years and the seventh time in program history. The Vols have won their opening game just once, doing so in 1995.
The best finish for Tennessee is runner up in 1951, the program’s first CWS appearance. Tennessee finished tied for third in 1995.
“I think whoever wins Bracket 1 between Tennessee and Florida State will win the title,” ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel wrote. “I’ll lean Tennessee because I think it’s just too deep at a time of year where that’s crucial and it has Omaha experience.”
North Carolina (47-14) and Virginia (46-15) are on the other side of Bracket 1, with the eight-team field split into two four-team brackets in a double-elimination format. Bracket 2 is Kentucky-North Carolina State and Texas A&M-Florida.
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CWS Game 1: No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 8 Florida State, Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
“The Vols lead the nation with an eye-popping 173 home runs,” ESPN’s Mike Rooney wrote. “The first three hitters (Christian Moore, Blake Burke, Billy Amick) are the toughest stretch of any lineup in college baseball. But it’s more than the power … it’s the program pedigree. The Vols are returning to Omaha for the third time in four seasons. The team that missed the College World Series (2022) won 57 games before losing in Game 3 of a super regional.
“Tennessee has earned the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons. This program has been operating at the top of the sport for four years now. It’s time for a crowning achievement.”
The Vols swept through the Knoxville Regional, beating Northern Kentucky, Indiana and Southern Miss, then beat Evansville in three games in the Knoxville Super Regional.
“To this point, Burke, the former Tennessee All-American and MLB first-round draft pick wrote, “the Vols have answered every challenge presented to them. I think the easiest prediction is that they will continue that in Omaha. If they do, the baggage of the No. 1 seed will be finally gone!”
