College Baseball Top 25- The Athletic

[SNAFU]

Since the Athletic is running a special that allows everyone 7 days free access, I felt that I could link to the pay site. Summary of Tennessee at #18. SEC has top 2-6. UCLA #1.
College baseball preseason top 25: UCLA is No. 1; SEC claims next 5 spots

18. Tennessee​

Why they’re here: Under Tony Vitello, Tennessee developed into one of the sport’s premier programs, and the roster again reflects that. The Vols will lean heavily on their talented sophomore class with budding stars like right-hander Tegan Kuhns, center fielder Jay Abernathy and infielders Manny Marin and Levi Clark. They also again landed some of the most impactful transfers in the country, starting with infielder Henry Ford (Virginia) and left-hander Evan Blanco (Virginia).

Why there’s room for improvement: The big unknown here is in the dugout. Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson left Knoxville in October after Vitello was hired to manage the San Francisco Giants, taking Anderson with them. Josh Elander, Vitello’s top assistant coach, was promoted to replace him, but the 34-year-old’s head coaching experience has been limited to filling in a handful of games when Vitello was suspended. Elander has been preparing for this role for years, but being a first-time SEC head coach isn’t easy.

Opposing coach: “It’s going to be different without Tony and Frank there. Maybe a little less star power than they’ve had the last couple years. I like what they’ve got, it’s just maybe not as flashy as in years past.”

 

[cardvolfan]

These evaluations by media prognosticators are always interesting to read. I feel that quite a few of us have more internal knowledge than many media writers. Personally, I think we are loaded with star power. The issue is that I’m not privy to what other teams really have. Ultimately, it all plays out on the field. Fun year coming!

 

[Sam I Am]

Well, we play UCLA early, so we's 'bout to find out who got what.