NCAA tournament baseball is intense, with entire seasons hanging on every at-bat and every inning.

Nothing like a little Volunteer state rivalry to add even more excitement to the NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt received its fourth straight invitation to the NCAA Tournament Monday, and fifth in seven years under coach Tim Corbin, and will be the third seed in the Louisville regional.

Vanderbilt entered the Southeastern Conference tournament in a rut, having been swept by the lowly Volunteers and in danger of seeing its NCAA Tournament bubble burst.

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin astutely remarked after his Commodores got into the Southeastern Conference Tournament that, despite being swept at the end of the season, the team was on an equal field

Jonathan White's been playing for the Commodores for a long time so he knows the meaning of patience.

Generally it's good to be the best going into the playoffs. Unless it's Southeastern Conference baseball, that is.

The Commodores clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament Saturday, but they certainly aren't pretending to be thrilled about how they got there.

A wild game at Hawkins Field against went the way of Tennessee Friday night, as the Volunteers won the series with a 7-6, extra-inning victory over Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt couldn't find any last-minute magic, but its magic number to reach the Southeastern Conference tournament still reached one Thursday night.