KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball received its highest preseason ranking to date on Thursday afternoon when USA Today announced its preseason top 25 coaches’ poll.

The Vols will start the season ranked No. 16 after finishing at No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll when the 2020 season was canceled. UT was one of nine SEC programs ranked in the top 25, which led all conferences.

With all of the major preseason polls having now been released, the Big Orange enter the 2021 season ranked in four of them. The last time the Vols were ranked in the preseason was 2007.

Tennessee was ranked as high as No. 11 last year before the season was halted and eventually canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vols were off to a 15-2 start and ranked among the nation’s leaders in a number of statistical categories.

UT led the country in runs (180) and ranked second in home runs (31) while batting .320 as a team (fifth nationally). The pitching staff was equally as impressive, ranking fifth nationally in ERA (2.00) and second in WHIP (0.94).

Tennessee returns the vast majority of its production from last season. Returning players accounted for 74% of the team’s hits and 69% of the team’s runs batted in. From a pitching standpoint, UT returns 81% of its total innings pitched and 79% of its strikeouts from last year. The Vols also boast four preseason All-Americans in Max Ferguson, Connor Pavolony, Jake Rucker and Jackson Leath.

The Big Orange are set to open their season on Feb. 19 when they travel to Statesboro, Georgia for a weekend series against Georgia Southern. UT’s home opener is currently slated for Tuesday, Feb. 23 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 4:30 p.m. The full 2021 schedule can be found HERE.

There are a limited number of season tickets available for this season, which fans can purchase by visiting AllVols.com or calling the Tennessee Ticket Office at 865-656-1200. For more info on season tickets for the 2021 season, click HERE.

-UT Athletics