Tony Vitello simplified what Tennessee baseball is facing Sunday.

“It’s a race to two wins,” Vitello said. "That is really all it is.”

On paper, that’s what a super regional is. It’s a three-game series — and Tennessee vs. Evansville will play in Game 3 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

In weight, it could be a lot more for the Vols as the No. 1 national seed chasing a better ending than the last time they held that lofty post. They'll either reach Omaha for the third time in four seasons or lose as the No. 1 overall seed in a super regional twice in three seasons.

“You could paint all kinds of different pictures tomorrow,” Vitello said. “Really what it is, we are fortunate to host Evansville — one of the best teams in the country — and we are trying to win the series tomorrow.”

No. 1 Tennessee (54-12) is both a win away from the College World Series and a loss away from its season ending when it faces Evansville (39-25) on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, ESPNU) in Game 3 of the Knoxville Super Regional.

Why Tennessee baseball is comfortable in rubber matches

They are facing their seventh rubber match this season after losing 10-8 Saturday.

The Vols are 5-1 in the prior six, with a run differential of 76-30, and they have won six straight rubber matches by a 70-23 margin.

“It helps to have a vision of what it looks like,” Vitello said. “It helps to have reps. You can think of any sport you want, you want as many repetitions as possible. . . . No question it is a benefit.”

Tennessee is unbeaten in rubber matches at home the past two seasons (2-0 both years). It has not dropped a third game of a series since it lost to Notre Dame in the 2022 Knoxville Super Regional.

This Vols team has drawn natural comparisons to that 2022 bunch for the record-setting home run numbers and No. 1 seed.

But this group — despite the parallels — also has faced more tense moments to win series throughout the season. The 2022 Vols faced two rubber matches all season.

“We know what it looks like,” catcher Cal Stark said. "We know how to treat the game. Stuff like that. Keep that same mentality coming back to the field tomorrow.”

What Tennessee baseball drew from the ninth inning

Vitello found a little thing to lean on in Tennessee’s loss Saturday.

The Vols forged an offensive attack in the ninth inning, turning a five-run deficit into a two-run margin before Christian Moore flew out with the bases loaded to end the game.

“When it is a true three-round bout or a true series in the SEC, every little thing counts,” Vitello said.

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Tennessee was hitless for three innings before it mounted the comeback. That effort — despite not being enough — will help the Vols deeply, Vitello believes. He said it is easy to lose sight of what was shown in a competitive moment.

The Vols did it with hard-fought at-bats, including three full-count walks. Blake Burke stressed it was because they believe it is always an inning away from an explosion.

"I think it helped more than our players will even know," Vitello said.

Why Evansville held on

The Purple Aces rebounded sternly from UT’s 11-6 win in the opener Friday. They are “super old” and “not scared of the moment” as an older team, outfielder Kip Fougerousse said. That's how Evansville became the first No. 4 seed to beat the No. 1 overall seed in NCAA tournament history.

That’s why there will be a third game in the super regional.

“We will roll into Sunday, which is always an important day,” Vitello said. "We will be 1-1 and get after it.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball confident with super regional Game 3 vs Evansville