Tennessee baseball will compete in the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic next season, they announced Wednesday morning.
The four-team round robin tournament will include Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and Illinois and will take place from Feb. 26-28 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville which is home to the Minor League Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
The exact schedule and start time for the three-day multi-team tournament will be released at a later date.
It ends a three-year streak of Tennessee playing in the College Baseball Series in Texas. The Vols played in Arlington in 2023 and 2025 while playing in Houston in 2024.
Georgia Tech was one of the best teams in college baseball this past season, posting a 50-11 (26-5 ACC) record and earring the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before future national champion Oklahoma upset them in the opening weekend of the tournament.
Cincinnati is not a traditionally strong baseball program but the Bearcats have made the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years including after posting a 38-22 (17-13 Big 12) record this past season. Cincinnati lost in the Knoxville Regional in 2025 and the Starkville Regional in 2026.
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Illinois last made the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and posted a 28-27 (14-16 Big 10) record this past season. The Vols swept the Fighting Illini in a three-game series back in 2024.
Tennessee posted a 38-22 (15-15 SEC) record in Josh Elander’s first season as head coach, going 0-2 in the Chapel Hill Regional and failing to advance to the super regionals for the first time since 2019.
It’s already been a busy offseason for Tennessee with the Vols landing five commitments 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.
