FSU baseball will rematch Tennessee in MCWS, Is all pressure on the Vols?

FSU baseball led the No. 1 overall seed Tennessee Volunteers 11-8 in the bottom of the ninth inning and were one strike away from winning their opening game in the MCWS. The crazy part is that FSU was in that position without playing anywhere close to its best game from a pitching and defensive standpoint. However, the Noles have put it together in the two elimination games since. Those performances earned the opportunity to rematch the Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday in another win-or-go-home scenario. FSU will have to defeat the Vols twice to advance to the MCWS Finals that begin on Saturday. Tennessee will have fresher arms from a pitching standpoint. They've only had to play two MCWS games, compared to three for FSU since Friday. That will be an advantage for Tennessee, but I can't help but feel the pressure is on the Vols. FSU has already been in two elimination games, and Tennessee will be the betting favorites. Tennessee knows FSU will put runs on the scoreboard and looks to be the only team in the MCWS that can match Tennessee offensively.

Tennessee is a confident team, and their comeback win likely has them confident going into the rematch. However, FSU should be confident, knowing they played poorly and still had an opportunity to beat Tennessee by multiple runs. It's one of those situations where FSU could be a dangerous team if they find success early. The weather conditions could benefit FSU if the wind continues to blow in and limit Tennessee's propensity to hit home runs. While FSU can hit home runs, they've shown the ability to score in several ways. It saw six of their pitchers in game one and didn't have problems putting runs on the board. If Tennessee doesn't jump on FSU early, or the Noles build an early lead, the Vols could begin to feel the pressure against a team that will show the ability to bounce back repeatedly all season. A confident FSU is a scary team, and if they force a third game? I like their chances.