Tennessee Baseball will face three opponents from the Big 12 this February in Arlington, Texas, for the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown presented by Kubota.
Tony Vitello’s reloaded team will take on Texas Tech, future SEC-foe Oklahoma, and Baylor during the three-day weekend.
The Vols’ opening game on Friday, Feb. 16, at 7:00 p.m. will be against the Red Raiders, a team that competed and lost in the Gainesville Regional during the 2023 College Baseball postseason. Texas Tech finished the 2023 season with a record of 41-23 and a 12-12 record in Big 12 play.
Tennessee will then take on future conference opponent Oklahoma in the night game at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Sooners were selected to the Charlottesville Regional last season but did not advance out of the group of four. Oklahoma finished the 2023 season with a 32-28 record going 11-13 in conference play.
And, lastly, Tennessee will round on the three-game weekend with a contest against Baylor at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday night. The Bears did not make the College Baseball postseason in 2023 with an overall record of 20-35, 6-18 Big 12.
All three games will take place in Globe Life Stadium, the home of the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
More from RTI: Tennessee Football Schedule Plays Well During Survive in Advance Timeframe
The best part about the schedule for Tennessee is that the Vols escape any quick turnarounds with all three games taking place at night. Texas Tech will have to play at 7:00 on Friday with a 3:00 turnaround on Saturday while Oklahoma has to play at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday before having the very early 10:30 a.m. game on Sunday. That’s a brutal draw for the Sooners, but a fortunate draw for Vitello’s Volunteers.
Tennessee made it to the College World Series last season after winning on the road in the Clemson Regional and the Southern Miss Super Regional. The Vols lost to eventual National Champion LSU in the first game of the College World Series but eliminated Stanford in their second contest. Tennessee fell to LSU once again in the third game to officially end their postseason run.
The Vols began the 2023 season with a three-game series in the MLB Desert Invitational. Tennessee fell to Arizona and Grand Canyon in their first two contests but came back to blank UC San Diego 7-0 in the final game.
For more on Tennessee Baseball’s work throughout the fall, check out Rocky Top Insider’s fall practice observations here.
Here’s a look at the three-day schedule courtesy of Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown presented by Kubota:
Friday, February 16
11 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Baylor
3 p.m. – Oregon vs. Oklahoma
7 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, February 17
11 a.m. – Baylor vs. Oregon
3 p.m. – Texas Tech vs. Nebraska
7 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
Sunday, February 18
10:30 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
2:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Texas Tech
6:30 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Baylor
