No. 1 national seed Tennessee is a terrifying juggernaut, especially at home, but Southern Miss and Indiana are worthy challengers, and NKU has swing the bats.
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Knoxville Regional Preview: Can anyone stop the Volunteers?
POSTSEASON Walter Villa - May 29, 2024
Checking the Field
Tennessee earned the No. 1 national seed for the second time in three years after sharing the SEC regular-season title with Kentucky and then backing it up with an SEC tournament championship. The Volunteers are a fearsome juggernaut once again, but their regional field won’t be a cake walk. Southern Miss gave Tennessee all it could handle last year in the Hattiesburg Super Regional, and while some key personnel have changed for both teams, the potential for a rematch is very intriguing. Indiana took some lumps early against a very aggressive nonconference schedule, but the Hoosiers really came together down the stretch and finished third in the Big Ten to earn an at-large bid. In Dizzy Peyton’s third year as head coach, Northern Kentucky notched its highest-ever finish in the Horizon (second place), then took down perennial league power Wright State in the conference title game, sending the Norse to their first regional in 12 years as a Division I program.
1. Tennessee Regular Season Results |
Team Stats and Leaders
2. Southern Miss Regular Season Results |
Team Stats and Leaders
3. Indiana Regular Season Results |
Team Stats and Leaders
4. Northern Kentucky Regular Season Results |
Team Stats and Leaders
Knoxville Regional Superlatives
Most Exciting Player: Indiana left fielder Devin Taylor, a lefty-swinging sophomore, was the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year in 2023. This season, he got pitched around so much that the Hoosiers moved him to leadoff batter. He still made first-team All-Big Ten, hitting .352 with 18 homers, a 643 slugging and a .447 on-base percentage. He also has six homers in his past 10 games – the virtues of hitting leadoff has played a role. He finished the regular season leading the conference in runs and ranking second in homers and ninth in batting average. In addition, he is vastly improved in left field.
Best Hitter: Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore, a first-team All-SEC selection, tied for fifth in the nation with 28 homers. He also led Tennessee in batting average (.382); RBIs (63); slugging (.789); and on-base percentage (.447). Moore, a native of Brooklyn, has made himself at home in Rocky Top.
Christian Moore, Tennessee (Eddie Kelly photo)
Best Defensive Player: BYU transfer Ozzie Pratt has been a key addition for Southern Miss, stepping into the shortstop job vacated by mainstay Dustin Dickerson. Pratt is a rock-solid defender whose 7.84 defensive runs saved are best among shortstops in this regional. He’s the linch pin of the Golden Eagles defense.
Best Pitcher: Southern Miss senior righthander Billy Oldham is an old-school pitchability master who doesn’t blow hitters away with velocity but keeps them off balance thanks to his advanced feel for multiple quality offspeed pitches. As a result, he misses plenty of bats, striking out 96 against 26 walks in 90.2 innings over 15 starts this year, while posting a 3.97 ERA. He’s as reliable a pitching commodity as you’ll find in this regional, right there with Tennessee three-year stalwart Drew Beam, a likely Day One draft pick despite his modest strikeout rate.
Also in this discussion is Indiana’s Connor Foley, a 6-5 sophomore righthander, who can hit 99 with his fastball with elite riding life. If Indiana beats Southern Miss and the Vols take care of business against NKU, the Hoosiers could have Foley (4-1, 3.71) lined up to challenge the Volunteers. Batters have hit just .155 against Foley this season, and he has struck out 80 batters in 60 2/3 innings. His walk rate is high, but he’s pitched around it, posting a 3.71 ERA.
X-Factor: The entire Southern Miss team is the X-Factor. The Golden Eagles have established themselves as an annual powerhouse, leading the nation in terms of an active streak of eight straight years with at least 40 wins. This is a gritty team personified by players such as Slade Wilks and Dalton McIntyre. Wilks is on an active 32-game hitting streak that ranks third in program history. He is hitting .329 with team highs in homers (14) and RBIs (65). McIntyre leads the team in batting (.389), and he has used his speed to accumulate 29 infield hits this season. Southern Miss is 27-4 when McIntyre scores at least one run.
Best Starting Rotation: Tennessee’s stellar rotation is led by Drew Beam (8-2, 3.92). He is a big (6-4, 205) and durable righthander who controls both sides of the plate with his 92-94 fastball and advanced secondary stuff. He’s a big-time draft prospect this year.
Best Bullpen: Tennessee can rely on ace relievers such as AJ Causey (11-3, 4.10) and Nate Snead (8-2, 3.26). Causey made 15 appearances – including nine in relief — and his average per outing is five innings. Snead, whose fastball can reach 100 mph, tied for the team lead with five saves. Aaron Combs (2-1, 2.86) also nailed down five saves. All three have overpowering stuff, making this unit extremely formidable.
Best Offensive Team: Tennessee led the SEC in hitting (.311); doubles (136); homers (147); runs (553); and slugging percentage (.600). Moore is a superstar, but so is first baseman Blake Burke, who hit .372 and led the Vols in doubles (24). Third baseman Billy Amick, a Clemson transfer, snapped a 0-for-17 slump with a three-run homer in Saturday’s 4-3 SEC Final win over LSU. Amick, who is second on the team with 19 homers, could make a huge difference if he gets hot. This lineup is deep, physical, athletic and downright terrifying.
Best Defensive Team: Tennessee’s fielding percentage of .978 is the best of the four teams in this regional. Catcher Cal Stark has picked five runners off first base this year, and Burke made the SEC’s first-team All-Defense; Skilled center fielder Hunter Ensley anchors an athletic outfield, and second baseman Moore leads the entire Knoxville Regional in defensive runs saved (9.9).
No. 1 Seed Win Probability: 8. Southern Miss is definitely dangerous and won’t be intimidated, but Tennessee is true Goliath, in all phases of the game. Even as good as the Golden Eagles are, anybody but the Vols winning this regional would be a major upset, especially because Tennessee is so tough to beat at home (35-3 this year).
Frisky Four-Seed Factor: This is the first regional in Northern Kentucky’s Division I history, which began in 2013. The Norse have made an incredible rise since the COVID-shortened season of 2020, when they went 0-17. This season, they are 35-22 – the most wins in the program’s D1 history. They took two of three games from host Missouri this season, marking the program’s first-ever series victory over a Power Five school. Those wins were 3-1 and 16-15, showing the Norse’s versatility. The Norse also got swept at Georgia, but two of those Bulldogs wins were one-run walk-off victories. Two Norse hitters to watch are Treyvin Moss and Liam McFadden-Ackman. Moss led the Norse in hitting (.388) and doubles (21). McFadden-Ackman led the team in homers (21), RBIs (76), and slugging percentage (.729).
WARriors
Tennessee
2B Christian Moore – 5.73
1B Blake Burke – 4.66
LF Dylan Dreiling – 4.17
RF Kavares Tears – 3.79
3B Billy Amick – 3.27
Southern Miss
DH Slade Wilks – 3.12
RF Carson Paetow – 2.81
SS Ozzie Pratt – 2.58
LF Davis Gillespie – 2.22
1B Matthew Russo – 2.12
Indiana
LF Devin Daylor – 4.45
RF Nick Mitchell – 3.52
SS Tyler Cerny – 2.87
CF Carter Mathison – 2.23
1B Brock Tibbitts – 2.09
Northern Kentucky
1B Liam McFadden-Ackman – 4.27
RF Treyvin Moss – 3.88
3B Cleary Simpson – 3.58
2B Josh Odom – 2.27
DH Mitch Wood – 2.13
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