Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

'They're the ones with the pressure' - Vols insider drops strong statement about Super Regional showdown between Tennessee and Arkansas

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 12:31 PM ET

The Tennessee Vols' 11-5 win against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the final of the Knoxville Regional on Monday night means that UT will head to Fayetteville this weekend to play the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Tennessee dropped two of three games to Arkansas in Fayetteville near the end of the regular season. The Vols haven't won a series in Fayetteville since 2001.

Logic might suggest that the pressure will be on Tennessee this weekend due to the fact the Vols are the defending national champs and haven't had much success in Fayetteville over the last 25 years.

VolQuest's Austin Price, however, says the opposite is actually true. Price thinks the pressure is on the Razorbacks in the Fayetteville Super Regional.

"I think Tennessee is going into this series with no pressure," said Price on Tuesday during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone. "The defending champs have no pressure. Arkansas is a team that is playing really good baseball. They're playing at home. They won this series just a couple of weeks ago against Tennessee. But they're also the team that has failed to make it to Omaha, and choked it up in Regionals and Super Regionals the last handful of years. So to me, they're the ones with the pressure. Tennessee has no pressure."

Price makes a great point. This Tennessee team is obviously motivated to make their own mark -- they view themselves as a completely different team than the 2024 Vols team that won it all.

But this feels like a must-win series for Arkansas. If the Vols lose, there won't be any noise from the national media or the UT fan base.

Tennessee fans will salute Tony Vitello and his players for a well-played season that was full of ups-and-downs but ultimately resulted in the program's fifth straight appearance in a Super Regional.

Arkansas, meanwhile, will have a "if not now, then when?" type of feeling if they drop this series to the Vols. It would be a crushing loss for the Razorbacks.

The team that plays free and loose is the team that will have the advantage in this series. And based on Price's comments, it sounds like that team will be Tennessee.

Game one between Arkansas and Tennessee is set for Saturday (June 7) at 5:00 PM ET.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: