Tennessee-Baseball.jpg” alt=”Tennessee baseball” width=”745″ height=”483″ srcset=”https://www.rockytopinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lindsey-Nelson-Stadium-—-Tennessee-Baseball.jpg 745w, https://www.rockytopinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lindsey-Nelson-Stadium-—-Tennessee-Baseball-300×194.jpg 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px”>The Tennessee Ballpark. Photo via Tennessee Athletics
Postseason baseball returns to Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend when the top-seeded Tennessee Vols host Southern Miss, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the Knoxville Regional.
The Vols will face four-seeded Northern Kentucky in their first game, while Southern Miss and Indiana will meet in the first game of the four-team double-elimination tournament.
Tennessee is the favorite to defend its home field and win the Knoxville Regional, but there are several capable opponents coming to Knoxville this weekend.
Here’s a quick look at Southern Miss, Indiana and Northern Kentucky ahead of the Knoxville Regional.
More from RTI: Discussion on how Tennessee baseball won the SEC tournament
Southern Lady
How did they get here
Southern Miss enters the NCAA Tournament with a 41-18 record (20-10 Sun Belt) and is one of the most popular teams in the country. The Golden Eagles won 14 of their last 15 games and won the Sun Belt Tournament Championship after finishing in second place during the regular season.
Southern Miss has a strong and consistent program. They have made the NCAA Tournament eight consecutive times and have advanced to the super regionals the last two seasons. Tennessee knows Southern Miss well after defeating the Golden Eagles in the Hattiesburg Super Regional last season.
The Golden Eagles have played several quality NCAA Tournament teams this season. They won two of three games against Indiana State, beat Alabama and Tulane, split two matchups against Ole Miss and lost to Mississippi State in midweek games this season.
Team Batting Statistics
Races: 417 (78 nationally)
Batting average: .294 (70th nationally)
Home runs: 63 (138 nationally)
Doubles: 126 (23 nationally)
Walks: 259 (130 nationally)
Team pitching statistics
Earned Run Average: 5.00 (54th nationally)
WHIP: 1.39 WHIP (26th nationally)
Strikeouts per 9 innings: 10.0 (27th nationally)
Indiana
How did they get here
Indiana earned a third-place finish in the Knoxville Regional after posting a 32-24-1 record (15-9 Big 10) before losing to Nebraska in the Big 10 tournament semifinal game.
The Hoosiers won six of eight Big 10 series before posting a 3-2 record in the Big 10 tournament. One of those two series losses in conference play came against Illinois when the Hoosiers lost two of three against the Fighting Illini.
Tennessee faced Illinois in a three-game series in March, sweeping the Fighting Illini at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Indiana has played other challenging non-conference games this season. They swept Baylor in a three-game series and won singles matchups against Northern Kentucky and Dallas Baptist. The Hoosiers lost individual matchups against Vanderbilt, Alabama, Indiana State and Arizona.
Team Batting Statistics
Races: 463 (33 nationally)
Batting average: .295 (68th nationally)
Home runs: 78 (76 nationally)
Doubles: 134 (10th nationally)
Walks: 280 (78 nationally)
Team pitching statistics
Earned Run Average: 6.02 (148 nationally)
WHIP: 1.51 (86th nationally)
Strikeouts per 9 innings: 10.1 (24th nationally)
Northern Kentucky
How did they get here
Northern Kentucky enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 35-22 (19-11 Horizon). The Norse finished second in the Horizon League in the regular season before defeating regular season champion Wright State to win the conference tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament.
The Norsemen are playing strong baseball and have won 10 of their last 12 games, including a win in the season finale series against Wright State.
Northern Kentucky has played several larger schools this season. Here’s how it went. Georgia swept the Norse, but two games were decided by one run. Northern Kentucky won two of three at Missouri. They lose midweek games against Indiana and Louisville.
Team Batting Statistics
Races: 542 (fifth nationally)
Batting average: .320 (sixth nationally)
Home runs: 86 (56 nationally)
Doubles: 127 (20th nationally)
Walks: 355 (seventh nationally)
Team pitching statistics
Earned run average: 7.37 ERA (244th nationally)
WHIP: 1.74 (216th nationally)
Strikeouts per 9 innings: 8.5 (122 nationally)
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