Tennessee baseball is two wins away from a third College World Series appearance under coach Tony Vitello.

The No. 1 overall seed Vols (53-11) host Evansville (38-24) in the Knoxville Super Regional starting Friday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Here is what to know about the matchup:

Tennessee baseball is handling business through postseason

Tennessee has really faced three notable hurdles this postseason: It lost its SEC Tournament opener against Vanderbilt, it fell behind 5-3 against Mississippi State in Hoover, and played sloppy baseball against Southern Miss early in the regional title game.

The Vols didn't falter in any of those instances, proving their mettle and why they are the nation's top team. Vitello has lauded this team's maturity, and that has been on full display in the postseason.

UT did it through the regional with production from across the lineup and quality pitching, especially from the bullpen.

Evansville is an old, old team

Evansville hung tough in the Greenville Regional, including after it lost the first regional final game and fell behind in the Monday win-or-go-home game. That's largely a credit to a veteran Purples Aces group.

If there's a parallel between the Notre Dame team that beat Tennessee in the 2022 Knoxville Super Regional and this Evansville team, that is it. Evansville, like that Fighting Irish team, has an experience-laden roster.

The typical nine starters for the Purple Aces include four graduate students, two seniors and three juniors. That includes fifth-year outfielder Mark Shallenberger (.390, 17 homers, 63 RBIs) and fifth-year senior Kip Fougerousse (.350, 21 homers, 66 RBIs). Evansville also leans on experience on the mound with fifth-year pitcher Shane Harris, who has made 25 appearances, and senior starter Donovan Schultz. Schultz is 6-2 with a 5.84 ERA in 16 starts.

The Lindsey Nelson Stadium effect is real

Indiana pitcher Connor Foley couldn't hear through his pitch communication device Saturday during the Knoxville Regional.

SCOUTING: What to know about Evansville, Tennessee baseball's super regional opponent

"It’s pretty cool that the crowd interfered with the pitch communication and then got excited," Vitello said Saturday.

Tennessee has been tremendous at home in the postseason under Vitello with perfect 9-0 record during regional play. It is 12-2 overall at home with a 3-2 record during super regionals. UT beat LSU in two games in the 2021 super regional and lost to Notre Dame in a three-game super in 2022.

The Lindsey Nelson Stadium crowd was a force during the regional round. UT hosted a record-setting crowd of 6,396 during its 9-3 win against Northern Kentucky in its regional opener.

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: Why Tennessee baseball will beat Evansville, reach College World Series