Winning seasons have been few and far between for the University of Tennessee lately. Tennessee Vols baseball has been the exception.
As the post-season path to the 2021 College World Series stretches forward, Action 24/7 gives the Vols the second-best odds of becoming college baseball’s next Division I champion.
Tennessee Vols host Knoxville Regional
The Vols celebrated their first SEC tournament victory since 2007 last week, advancing to the SEC Baseball Championship. Tennessee ultimately lost to the No. 1-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks in the final game of the tournament, but that didn’t make a huge dent in the team’s ranking.
In fact, Tennessee’s ranking improved to No. 3, their highest of the season.
Now, the Vols move on to a regional competition. It will be a round-robin, double-elimination weekend. The winners of Friday’s first two games then play each other Saturday, while the losers play an elimination game.
Because of the team’s high seeding, the Vols were selected to host the Knoxville Regional. This was big news for the Vols, who hadn’t hosted a regional tournament since 2005.
Coincidentally, that year was also the last time Tennessee made it to the College World Series. Tickets for this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium are already sold out, due in large part to the team’s recent success.
Regional play begins this Friday, June 4. Tennessee (45-16) faces off against Wright State (35-11) in the first matchup.
If the Vols win, they then go on to compete against the winner of Game 2 – either Liberty (39-14) or Duke (32-20).
How to bet on Vols baseball this weekend
College baseball isn’t a popular betting option at most sportsbooks. In fact, you won’t even find game lines listed by major operators like BetMGM, FanDuel or DraftKings.
Out of the seven Tennessee online sportsbooks, only one has been taking action on college baseball.
Action 24/7 was the only Tennessee sportsbook offering lines on past games, and it’s the only one taking action on this week’s events.
The sportsbook currently has lines posted for the first round of regional games taking place this Friday.
Action 24/7 is the state’s only local sportsbook, and it has a strong collection of Vols and Commodores fans within its customer base. CEO Tina Hodges says the decision to take wagers on college baseball came down to Action 24/7’s steadfast hometown dedication.
“Action 24/7 likes to gamble, and so do our players. Tennesseans want action on the Vols and ‘Dores baseball. This is what it means to be a local sportsbook.”
The Vols have -139 odds of leaving the field with a victory Friday night against the Raiders, who sit at +130 odds of winning.
Moneyline wagering is currently the only option available for the tournament, although some futures market also exist.
Tennessee sits at +600 odds of winning the 2021 College World Series.
Vanderbilt Commodores host Nashville Regional
The Vols aren’t the only Tennessee baseball team looking to claim the crown, though. The Nashville-based Vanderbilt Commodores enter regional competition looking to secure their third national championship. They won their first in 2014 and the second in 2019.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic halted tournament play in 2020, Vanderbilt remains this year’s defending champion.
The ‘Dores (40-51) face off against the Presbyterian Blue Hose (22-21) on Friday. Saturday’s game will be a matchup between either Georgia Tech (29-23) or Indiana State (30-19).
Vanderbilt’s first matchup is far more predictable than Tennessee’s according to Action 24/7. The Commodores sit at -1400 odds of winning against Presbyterian (+1429).
Vanderbilt currently has +650 odds to win the College World Series.
Regional tournament layout
Each of the 16 regional tournaments across the nation features four teams, for a grand total of 64 teams. Regional winners will then enter super regional play that consists of a best-of-three series format.
Eight teams will move on from the super regionals and advance to the College World Series in Omaha. From there, play continues in double-elimination style until only two teams are left standing.
The national champion is decided in a best-of-three series.
The season’s eight national seeds are considered the post-season favorites on the road to the College World Series:
- Arkansas (46-10)
- Texas (42-15)
- Tennessee (45-16)
- Vanderbilt (40-15)
- Arizona (40-15)
- TCU (40-17)
- Mississippi State (40-15)
- Texas Tech (36-15)
Both the No. 3-seeded Tennessee Vols and the No. 4-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores have been strong contenders in post-season play.
National seeds that win their region will go on to host super regionals. This means Vols and Commodores fans both have a chance to catch the upcoming super regionals in their hometown.
Super Regionals take place June 11 – June 14, culminating with the College World Series from June 19 – June 30.