FSU baseball: How is Tennessee different than other postseason opponents?

FSU baseball earned its spot in Omaha by sweeping a two-game series over the UConn Huskies. The Noles had to play the waiting game to see who their opponent would be between the Tennessee Volunteers and Evansville Purple Aces. The Volunteers won the rubber match between the two teams on Sunday, which means the Noles will face Tennessee in Omaha. The Vols were the No. 1 overall seed going into the Field of 64. How different are they from the three teams FSU defeated to reach Omaha?

These stats were where each team ranked going into the postseason, and it's easy to see why Tennessee was the No. 1 overall seed. There are few weaknesses, as they rank among the top in nearly every significant category. The biggest difference is they are vastly better offensively than anyone FSU faced in the regionals or Super Regionals. It's one of the main reasons I felt FSU had a great chance to advance to Omaha once they reach Super Regionals. Stetson, UCF, or UConn don't have anywhere near the power, batting average, or on-base percentages that Tennessee brings. UCF is the team closest to Tennessee from a pitching standpoint. The Noles scored 17 runs in two games against UCF but went several innings without much production. The biggest weakness Tennessee has is they strike out a ton and are not much of a threat to steal bases once they get on. However, they are willing to sacrifice some strikeouts for power, much like FSU. We'll get into keys to victory and strategy as the week evolves as we learn what time the first game is on Friday. The Noles will play Tennessee at either 2 p.m or 7 p.m. The Vols are not some unbeatable juggernaut, after all they lost to Evansville to force a game three in their Super Regional, but FSU will have get some A+ performances from some key players to advance past them.