SEC coaches just did Tony Vitello and the Tennessee Vols a big favor going into the season
The 2025 SEC baseball season is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for preseason polls and conference predictions to come out. In fact, one just did, and it should be something that Tony Vitello and the Tennessee Vols can immediately put on their bulletin board.
The SEC preseason rankings came out, which were voted on by the coaches. The Vols came in second, but they garnered just one first place vote.
Texas A&M got the majority of first place votes with 10 and 228 total points to top the polls. Arkansas also drew more first place votes than UT with 3. It’s not too surprising that the coaches love the Aggies. They return the vast majority of their team who was the runner up to the Vols last year in Omaha – with the big footnote that they lost their head coach Jim Schlossnagle to archrival Texas. That might matter.
But it’s the fact that Tennessee earned just one first place vote from the coaches is what’s particularly baffling. The defending national champion Vols, who answered some significant losses with some big transfer portal pickups. The program who’s won the SEC regular season title and tournament in two of the last three seasons. The one with College World Series appearances in three of the last four seasons and was the #1 overall seed the year they didn’t make it. A truly remarkable run.
As such, you’d think Vitello would have gotten the benefit of the doubt from his colleagues. But he didn’t, and now it gives him and his players something to use to rally around.
We’ll find out when SEC play begins if Vitello can lead his team to its third SEC title in four years – and prove to his peers that, even with roster turnover, it’s not ever wise to doubt him.
