Tennessee baseball fell to Wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional final after late-inning errors and missed opportunities sealed their fate.

On a humid Sunday evening in Knoxville, with orange-clad fans packed into every seat and lining the fences of Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Tennessee baseball’s season came to a stunning, heartbreaking end. The top-seeded Volunteers, riding high after a dominant regular season and early wins in the regional bracket, were stopped just one game shy of advancing to the Super Regionals by a determined Wake Forest team.

The final score: Wake Forest 6, Tennessee 4.

But the story was so much more than numbers. It was a game filled with missed opportunities, costly errors, brilliant pitching, and the cruel finality of postseason baseball.

The Build-Up: A Collision Course

Tennessee entered the Knoxville Regional as the No. 1 national seed, the undisputed favorite not only to win the regional but to make a deep run to Omaha. Boasting a 50-11 record, an SEC title, and one of the nation’s most complete rosters, the Vols had every reason to believe this was their year.

Wake Forest, the No. 2 seed in the regional, was no stranger to success themselves. Despite an up-and-down season by their standards, the Demon Deacons were a battle-tested ACC team with explosive offense and a rotation that could hang with anyone in the country.

After early wins by both teams and a Tennessee victory in their first meeting in the regional, Wake Forest battled their way out of the losers’ bracket to force a winner-take-all rematch. Sunday night would decide who moved on—and who went home.

The Game: A Study in Missed Chances

The Vols started strong. In the bottom of the first, shortstop Tyler Ashford worked a full-count walk, stole second, and came around to score on a double by catcher Max Everett. The stadium erupted, and Tennessee led 1-0.

But Wake Forest responded quickly. In the top of the second, they capitalized on a dropped fly ball in left field—one of three errors Tennessee would commit during the night—and turned it into a two-run inning, taking a 2-1 lead.

“We just didn’t execute the fundamentals,” said Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello. “And in postseason baseball, that’s what gets you.”

The middle innings turned into a pitcher’s duel. Tennessee starter Owen Banks, pitching on short rest, gave the Vols five gritty innings, allowing only three earned runs and keeping the game within reach. On the other side, Wake Forest’s A.J. Ramsey was masterful, striking out nine over six innings and inducing weak contact from the heart of Tennessee’s lineup.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Vols tied the game 3-3 with a clutch single by freshman Elijah Knox, who had been a breakout star throughout the regional. The home crowd sensed momentum shifting.

But it wouldn’t last.

The Turning Point: A Costly Sixth Inning

The top of the sixth proved decisive. With two outs and a runner on first, Tennessee appeared to have escaped unscathed when a ground ball was hit toward third. But the throw across the diamond sailed high, pulling first baseman Tanner Briggs off the bag.

Instead of ending the inning, the mistake extended it.

Wake Forest made Tennessee pay.

The next batter, slugger Marcus Devlin, launched a 2-1 fastball deep into the right-field seats. It was a crushing three-run homer that stunned the crowd and gave Wake Forest a 6-3 lead.

“That was the moment,” said senior reliever Kyle Mendez. “You give a team like that an extra out, and they’re going to make you regret it.”

Tennessee’s Last Push

To their credit, the Volunteers didn’t fold. In the bottom of the seventh, Ashford led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Everett. With runners at second and third and no outs, the Vols seemed poised to mount a comeback.

But what followed was a sequence fans would replay in their minds all offseason: a strikeout, a shallow fly ball, and a groundout to end the inning with both runners stranded.

“We had our chances,” Vitello said. “And we didn’t cash in.”

Tennessee would add one more run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Briggs, narrowing the lead to 6-4. In the bottom of the ninth, the Vols brought the tying run to the plate after a two-out walk, but Wake Forest closer Nate Carrington induced a soft grounder to end it.

The Aftermath: Silence in the Stadium

When the final out was recorded, a stunned silence fell over Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The fans, who had been so raucous and hopeful just moments earlier, stood in disbelief. Many didn’t leave their seats for several minutes, trying to process what had just happened.

On the field, the Wake Forest players celebrated with unrestrained joy, while the Volunteers gathered quietly near their dugout, arms draped around one another, many with tears in their eyes.

“It hurts,” said Everett, who played his final collegiate game that night. “We worked for this all year. To have it end here, at home… it’s brutal.”

Coach Vitello fought back emotion in his postgame remarks.

“I told the guys this: one game doesn’t define you. What we did this year was historic. And I love every one of them.”

A Season to Remember

Indeed, despite the gut-wrenching ending, 2025 will be remembered as one of the best seasons in Tennessee baseball history.

• SEC regular season and tournament champions
• 50+ wins for the second consecutive year
• Multiple All-SEC and All-American performers
• A dominant stretch at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, where they went 29-3

For players like Ashford, Everett, Banks, and Briggs, the journey ends here. For the underclassmen, like Knox and sophomore outfielder Jordan Blake, the loss will serve as both a lesson and motivation.

“I’ll never forget this feeling,” said Knox. “Next year, we finish what we started.”

The Bigger Picture

College baseball can be cruel. The margin between victory and defeat is razor-thin, and the postseason has a way of exposing even the smallest cracks. Tennessee didn’t lose because of a lack of effort or talent—they lost because, for one night, the game didn’t go their way.

Credit must be given to Wake Forest, a team that refused to fold after an earlier loss to Tennessee in the same regional. They played loose, took advantage of mistakes, and got timely hits when they mattered most.

As Tennessee fans trickled out of the stadium late into the night, many paused to touch the railing, or take one last look at the field, perhaps knowing it would be months before they returned—and that next time, the team they love will look different.

Final Thoughts

The loss will sting, there’s no denying that. For a program with championship aspirations, falling short in the regional final—especially at home—is a painful pill to swallow. But this team gave everything it had. They played with heart, resilience, and unity.

And though the 2025 season ends not with a dogpile in Omaha but with quiet tears in Knoxville, it also ends with pride. Because these Volunteers made their mark.