The Chapel Hill Regional for the 2026 NCAA Tournament is projected to be one of the toughest fields this year's event will showcase.
North Carolina welcomes three very quality opponents to Chapel Hill, as each team looks to advance past the first weekend of the tournament to advance to the Super Regionals.
With the Chapel Hill Regional set to begin on Friday, let's get to know the teams who will competing at Boshamer Stadium this weekend. We start with the No. 2-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, a program under new direction but one who has prior NCAA Tournament experience in Chapel Hill.
Getting to know the Tennessee Volunteers
Team Stats
Record
Overall: 38-20
Home: 28-10
Away: 7-8
Neutral: 3-2
Conference: 15-15
Non-Conference: 23-5
Rankings
RPI: 31
Non-Conference RPI: 51
SOS: 33
Non-Conference SOS: 186
VS. RPI Teams
1-25: 12-11
26-50: 2-3
51-100: 4-4
101-200: 20-2
201+: 0-0
Meet the Manager
Josh Elander
Elander is in his first season as the Tennessee Volunteers' head coach, replacing Tony Vitello (who was hired as the manager of the San Francisco Giants this past offseason).
Having spent eight seasons on the staff at Tennessee (five as an assistant and three as the associate head coach), Elander has helped guide the program to a ton of success during his tenure. He worked primarily with hitters and catchers while serving as an assistant coach and also spearheaded recruiting efforts, helping the Volunteers bring in some elite recruiting classes along the way.
A Round Rock, Texas native, Elander was selected in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, and played four seasons of minor league ball.
Players to Know
This name should be a very familiar one for Tar Heel fans.
Henry Ford started his college baseball career at Virginia, as who can forget his three homer performance that led the Cavaliers to a 14-11 come-from-behind victory over the then-ranked No. 10 Tar Heels during the 2024 season.
Okay, we try to forget that one, but still- it was a rather impressive performance.
Ford has been outstanding in his first season at Tennessee, serving as a key clog in the middle of the batting order. He's a guy that North Carolina will not want to let beat them in a potential matchup in the Chapel Hill Regional.
Clark has the ability to knock out of the ballpark at any time. Regardless of where he hits in the order, it's vital not to make a mistake, because he will certainly punish you for it.
Wright is one of the most interesting players in Tennessee's lineup. With the ability to play catcher or center field (a very rare combination to see in baseball, especially at this level), Wright has settled into the leadoff spot for the Volunteers and has capitalized in the role.
Opposing pitching staffs will want to ensure Wright doesn't get hot during his visit to Chapel Hill, as he plays a major role in helping set the table for his team's offensive attack.
Interesting to Note
In 2019, the Tony Vitello-led Volunteers traveled to Chapel Hill for the regional round, their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.
Now, seven years later, first-year head coach Josh Elander will be bringing his team back to Chapel Hill for another NCAA Tournament Regional.
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