Tennessee's Cal Stark (10) celebrates with Tennessee's Aaron Combs (28) and teammates after winning Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series finals against Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee earns redemption with College World Series win

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jun 24, 2024 10:42 PM ET

Tennessee earned redemption with its first College World Series win in program history on Monday.

The Vols defeated SEC rivals Texas A&M 6-5 in Game 3 of the championship series as they became just the second No. 1 seed in CWS history to win a national title and first since 1999.

Two years ago, in 2022, Tennessee was one of those 1-seeds to crash and burn on the big stage after failing to make it to Omaha by losing in the Knoxville Super Regional to Notre Dame.

Standout second baseman Christian Moore, who was a freshman on that 2022 squad, got things going for Tennessee with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning, and outfielder Dylan Dreiling broke the game open with a two-run shot in the seventh.

CHRISTIAN MOORE LEADS OFF GAME 3 WITH A HOME RUN FOR THE VOLS pic.twitter.com/eUFehiQAAi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 24, 2024

CLUTCH MAN @DylanDreiling1 #MCWS x ESPN / @Vol_Baseball pic.twitter.com/9H4R2UozYP
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 25, 2024

Per MLB.com, Tennessee has six players ranked in its top 100 prospect rankings for the 2024 MLB Draft.

Moore (No. 25) leads the Vols and is followed by third baseman Billy Amick (No. 26), right-hander Drew Beam (No. 63), first baseman Blake Burke (No. 64), outfielder Kavares Tears (No. 65) and Dreiling (No. 72).

But Tennessee should still be a contender next season. According to Perfect Game, the Volunteers had the No. 1 recruiting class in 2024 and currently have the No. 3-ranked class of 2025.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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