Tennessee baseball gets some added incentive with its first game of 2024 SEC tournament

Vanderbilt and Florida will play Tuesday at 5:30 pm ET, with the winner advancing to face Tennessee on Wednesday at 5:30 pm ET.  

It goes without saying that whoever comes out of that matchup on Tuesday should have the Vols' full attention.  Vanderbilt and Florida have been must-see matchups for Tennessee fans, and those games tend to have a bit more of an intense feel or vibe among the players as well.  

However, Tennessee could have a chance to do something big as well by knocking their rival's postseason hopes down a peg on Wednesday evening.  Both Vanderbilt and Florida are both on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, although perhaps slightly on the right side of it right now with 13 SEC wins each.  A loss to Tennessee would put them in the loser's bracket and with an uphill climb to make a deep tournament run in Hoover to bolster their NCAA chances.  

Tennessee is looking to win its second SEC tournament title in 3 years.  The Vols claimed the 2022 title after also winning the regular season title on the way to a top overall seed in the NCAA tournament.  The Vols ultimately lost in the super regionals to Notre Dame.  

We'll see soon enough if these Vols can follow that same path and rewrite a more pleasant ending for Tennessee fans.  And if they can make things a little bit dicier for one of their rivals on Selection Monday along the way.