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A simple stat should give Tennessee Vol fans some hope that they'll get to attend at least one more game weekend in Knoxville this year

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated May 18, 2025 5:22 PM ET

Things have gone, let's say, less than optimal for the Tennessee Vols baseball team over the last seven weeks. Over that span, the Vols have lost six of seven series, dropping all six of them on the series' final day.

As such, going into the SEC baseball tournament this week in Hoover, the Vols are right on the cut line to be named one of the sixteen host sites for the NCAA tournament. Some current projections have them as out of hosting and as a two-seed in the NCAA tournament.

However, there's one factor that could help keep the Vols in the conversation: RPI. Per Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball, the Vols check in current at 16 in the RPI rankings.

Want to know where your team is from an RPI standpoint entering conference tournaments?

We have you covered at @d1baseball w/ our in-depth RPI Report. https://t.co/Yc37D7n8RW pic.twitter.com/z1Vr6ZU0W4
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) May 18, 2025

RPI isn't the end-all-be-all of ranking factors by the selection committee, but it's no doubt a key factor that's considered. Results against quad 1/quad 2 teams is also important, and Tennessee's 12-10 mark against Q1 and 6-3 against Q2 is very competitive compared to teams around them in the rankings. An 18-0 Q4 mark shows they've avoided any embarrassing losses, although a 222 strength of schedule isn't ideal.

The Vols will get a chance to improve both their RPI ranking and their Q1 record this week in Hoover, as the 8-seed Vols are set to play the winner of the 9/16 game between Alabama and Missouri. Barring a major upset by the Tigers, the Vols will get chances against Alabama, and if they win, against Texas and then very likely either Vandy or Georgia. Those are major tournament needle-moving opportunities, to speak the obvious.

We'll see soon enough if the Vols can make one last bold statement to the selection committee this week with a strong run in the SEC tournament, an even they won in 2022 and 2024. A statement they haven't quite been able to make in recent weeks.

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

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