JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tennessee will play in the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic as part of its early season non-conference slate in 2027.
Hosted in partnership by Peak Events and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the tournament will take place during the second weekend of the 2027 college baseball season from Feb. 26-28 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Florida.
For the second year in a row, the Live Like Lou Foundation is the title sponsor for the event. The foundation was created in 2012 with the goal of supporting families affected by ALS as well as funding ALS research to find treatments or a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease while honoring Gehrig’s legacy.
This will mark the Volunteers’ first appearance in the Jax Classic and just their second time playing in the state of Florida during non-conference play since 2019 when they went 3-0 in the Cox Diamond Invitational in Pensacola. UT will look to join the likes of LSU (2026), Alabama (2025) and Virginia (2024) as champions of the event, which is entering its fourth year.
The rest of the 2027 Jax Classic field consists of Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Illinois, as the four teams will square off against one another in a three-game round robin format. Both the Bearcats and Yellow Jackets are coming off impressive 2026 campaigns and were NCAA Tournament participants.
Cincinnati finished in a tie for sixth in the Big 12 and posted a 38-22 record after a 1-2 showing in the NCAA Starkville Regional, marking their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after playing in the 2025 Knoxville Regional the year prior.
Georgia Tech was one of the country’s top programs in 2026, earning the No. 2 national seed after winning the ACC regular season and tournament titles and finishing the year with a 50-11 overall record after being upset in its home regional by eventual national champion Oklahoma.
Illinois is coming off its third consecutive season with a winning record after going 28-27 in 2026 while finishing ninth in the Big 10.
Tennessee is coming off its seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance and its first under head coach Josh Elander, who will begin his second season as skipper of the Vols in 2027.
Elander achieved a handful of milestones in his first year leading the Big Orange, becoming the first and only head coach in UT history to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first season. He is also the only first-year head coach at Tennessee to win 30-plus games in his debut campaign, leading the Vols to a 38-22 overall record.
The schedule for this year’s Jax College Baseball Classic is expected to be finalized soon. Fans can sign up now for pre-sale ticket access at the Jax Classic page at www.peak.events. Travel packages and broadcast details will be announced at a later date, as well.
