The 2026 college baseball season came to a close on Monday night with Oklahoma defeating North Carolina 13-2 to win the College World Series Final Series in three games. With the season officially over, Baseball America released its final top 25 rankings of the 2026 season.
Tennessee baseball just barely made the cut, coming in at No. 25 in the final rankings. The Vols finished Josh Elander’s first season as head coach with a 38-22 (15-15 SEC) record.
The Vols entered the season with high expectations, ranked between No. 10 and No. 15 in most preseason polls. After scuffling in non conference and early SEC play, Tennessee fell out of the top 25 for much of the season. However, the Vols finished the regular season strong with series victories three of the final four weekends of the season.
Ironically, Tennessee ended the regular season with a series victory against the eventual national champion Sooners in Oklahoma City.
Tennessee and Oklahoma’s seasons went in opposite directions after that point. The Vols went 1-1 in the SEC Tournament before going two and out with losses against East Carolina and VCU to end their season in the Chapel Hill Regional.
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Tennessee is one of 11 SEC teams in Baseball America’s final rankings, coming in behind No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 9 Mississippi State, No. 10 Auburn, No. 16 Florida, No. 18 Texas A&M and No. 21 Arkansas.
It’s been a busy early offseason for Tennessee baseball. The Vols have landed five transfer commits to date including South Carolina left-handed pitcher Jake McCoy, Northwestern State left-handed pitcher Brody Trosclair, UC Irvine left-handed pitcher Ricky Ojeda, Mercer two-way Braydon Kersey and Air Force infielder Wyatt Hanoian.
Sixteen Tennessee players have entered the transfer portal this offseason including infielder Ethan Moore first baseman Evan Hankins, right-handed pitcher Nic Abraham, outfielder Nate Eisfelder, shortstop Manny Marin, utility man Jay Abernathy, catcher Cash Williams, infielder Finley Bates, shortstop Ariel Antigua, utility man Hunter High, utility man Chris Newstrom, outfielder Hutson Chance, right-handed pitcher Brayden Krenzel, two-way Taylor Tracey, right-handed pitcher Sawyer Deering and right-handed pitcher Ari Bethea.
A number of Tennessee players have announced intentions to return for next season including outfielder Blaine Brown, RHP Landon Mack, LHP Cam Appenzeller, first baseman Levi Clark, catcher Trent Grindlinger, catcher Stone Lawless and LHP Will Haas.
