First pitch of the final game in the Knoxville Super Regional has been delayed due to weather.
UPDATE 5:24 p.m.: The new estimated start time is approximately 7:06 p.m. ET. The game will still be televised on ESPNU.
Tennessee announced the delay at 5:10 p.m. ET.
The Vols are starting left handed pitcher Zander Sechrist on the mound, with a win sending Tennessee back to Omaha for the third time in four years. Evansville is rolling with lefty Kevin Reed, looking to send the Purple Aces to their first College World Series in program history.
Sechrist has been a staple for Tennessee on Sunday’s with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Reed has a 7.38 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.
Rain began falling at Lindsey Nelson Stadium around 5:00 p.m. ET, and a meeting around the same time prompted a new time for first pitch.
It is the second-straight year that the finale of the NCAA Super Regional has been delayed. In 2023 in Hattiesburg, Mississippiu, the Vols faced a lengthy weather delay before defeating Southern Miss to go to Omaha.
This story will be updated when a new first pitch time is announced.
How to watch Tennessee baseball vs. Evansville
Evansville and Tennessee baseball was slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Now, the weather has prompted a delay with a new start time unknown.
What Tony Vitello said about facing Evansville in an elimination game
Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello has a lot of confidence going into Sunday’s elimination game against the Evansville Purple Aces.
Part of that confidence comes from how many Sunday games the Vols have played with the series on the line.
“Basically, the way the numbers go, we don’t need to worry about anything other than tomorrow. The numbers go: you want to play at home, you would like to be playing first in a regional if you can, then if you are fortunate enough to get to a super regional, then it’s a race to two wins,” Vitello said. “That’s really all it is.”
“If you are bored and you’re on your phone for too long, or you get involved in social media chats, which will be up to you all, not our players, then you could paint all kinds of pictures tomorrow. But really what it is, is we are fortunate enough to host Evansville, one of the best teams in the country, and we are trying to win the series tomorrow.”
