Tennessee baseball is highly regarded once again entering a season under coach Tony Vitello.

The Vols earned their highest preseason ranking to date Thursday, clocking in at No. 5 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason poll.

Tennessee also was tabbed as a top-10 team by Baseball America and D1 Baseball, which ranked the Vols as No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. UT was No. 11 in Perfect Game's preseason poll.

The Vols open the season Feb. 16-18 in the Shriners Children's Showdown in Arlington, Texas.

Tennessee baseball is coming off another College World Series

Tennessee reached the College World Series in 2023, its second appearance in Omaha in three years. The Vols beat Stanford 6-4 in an elimination game to earn their first CWS win since 2001. They were bounced by eventual national champion LSU, which beat the Vols in the opening game as well to hand UT both of its losses in the double-elimination bracket.

UT broke through and reached the CWS in 2021 for the first time since 2005. Its NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 was its first since 2005.

Where Tennessee baseball has been ranked in the preseason previously

Tennessee was the preseason No. 2 team in the nation before the 2023 season, its highest preseason ranking in program history.

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The Vols were ranked between No. 10 and No. 20 by most major publications prior to the 2022 season. UT went on to win 57 games that season, holding the No. 1 ranking for most of the year. Tennessee won the SEC regular-season title and tournament title in 2022.

Likewise, UT also was ranked between No. 10 and No. 20 prior to the 2021 season when it won the SEC East then rolled through two home postseason weekends to get to Omaha.

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 ranking 2024: Where UT Vols are in preseason polls