Tennessee vs Evansville Preview in Knoxville Super Regional

No. 1 Tennessee is set to face off against Evansville on Friday at 3 pm ET in the Knoxville Super Regional.

The Volunteers are gearing up for their fourth consecutive Super Regional appearance, taking on Evansville in a best-of-three series for a spot in the College World Series. Tennessee is the heavy favorite in Friday's matchup, with oddsmakers placing the Vols as -700 favorites over the Purple Aces.

Friday's matchup will serve as the first time Evansville has appeared in a Super Regional after becoming the lone No. 4 seed to survive their regional pool, defeating the No. 1 seeded East Carolina Pirates in the Greenville Regional Championship game.

As for Tennessee, the Vols dominated past their opponents, going a perfect 3-0 in the Knoxville regional. The Vols defeated Northern Kentucky 9-3, Indiana 12-3 and beat Southern Miss 12-3 in the Knoxville Regional Championship game. However, the Vols will be without sophomore ace AJ Russell, who re-injured his elbow during the SEC Tournament Championship game. Despite this setback, Tennessee's bullpen remains strong and well-rested heading into this weekend's Super Regional.

Head Coach Tony Vitello spoke on his message to his team as they prepare to face Evansville, a No.4 seed who is perceived as an underdog.

"Yeah, fortunately that noise doesn't get to me. Like I said, at this point the seeding doesn't matter. You're either good enough to be at this spot or you're not and you don't get any extra credit. We're not alternating sites. You don't get to be home team the whole weekend. It's whether you're on your field or not. So that's the benefit we see as it relates to the matchup. But they know what a hostile environment looks like from where they just came from." Vitello said.

This weekend's Super Regional will be played amidst the deafening cheers of Rocky Top as Tennessee aims to advance to their third College World Series in the past four years. First pitch is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

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