The 2026 SEC baseball regular season wrapped up on May 16, marking the end of a grueling schedule for the conference’s ten teams.
Tennessee finished the slate at 37‑19 under head coach Josh Elander, securing the tenth seed heading into the tournament.
The Vols will open play in Hoover, Alabama, against a 15‑seed South Carolina squad at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, a matchup that could set up a second‑round clash with seventh‑seed Arkansas.
Fans will mark their calendars for May 25, when the NCAA Tournament bracket is unveiled at noon EDT on ESPN2, a moment that will determine the Vols’ path toward the College World Series.
RPI rankings released after the regular season show Georgia leading the SEC with an RPI of 14, followed by Texas at 4 and Auburn at 3, underscoring the competitive depth of the league.
RPI Landscape
While the top three teams dominate the RPI chart, the middle tier remains tightly contested, with several programs jockeying for favorable seeding.