The University of Tennessee has never quite been a baseball school.

However, a disappointing year in football combined with up-and-down men's and women's basketball seasons in progress, Tennessee sports fans will look to the collegiate diamond as a last hope to redeem this year in UT sports. 

The 2009 season will bring changes to Tennessee baseball. Lindsey Nelson Stadium has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation, and Todd Raleigh enters his second season as head coach. This season will begin to tell what the future will look like, as more of his recruits will play key roles.

Sophomore outfielder Kentrail Davis is this year’s standout player. After an impressive freshman year he steps into the national spotlight and an increased leadership role on the team.

Last year Davis was named to the Freshman All-American Team, and led the Vols in home runs (13), batting average (.330), and RBI (44).

This year, he has been named first team on the NCBWA, Baseball America, and Rivals.com Preseason All-America teams, as well as being named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award and Prestigious Golden Spikes Award watch lists.

Coach Raleigh is just getting started in his transformation of the program, and things are looking up despite a losing record last season. Raleigh was able to fill the team’s need of pitchers in the off-season; of the 12 players in the 2008 signing class, nine were ranked among the top 10 prospects in their state.

PGCrosschecker.com ranked Tennessee as No. 37 in its preseason ranking of the nation’s top 100 NCAA Division I college baseball teams. The SEC has a strong presence in the poll with eight other teams ranked in the top 50. Tennessee was picked by the Coaches’ Poll to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division.

Tennessee will be tested early as the Oregon State Beavers come to Knoxville on Friday for a three game series this weekend. Oregon State won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007.

Friday's first pitch at Lindsey Nelson Stadium is set for 4 p.m. Saturday's game begins at 2 p.m. and the series finale will begin at noon on Sunday.