Can Tennessee baseball pitchers led by Chase Dollander lead Vols to College World Series title?

Tennessee baseball returns arguably the nation's best pitching staff as it chases a second College World Series berth under coach Tony Vitello.

The No. 2 Vols open the season Friday (8 p.m., MLB Network) against Arizona in the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona. UT has its home opener on Feb. 21 against Alabama A&M.

Here is what to know about the pitching staff:

Chase Dollander headlines Tennessee's elite pitching rotation

Tennessee entered last season with uncertainty and competition in its starting rotation. It is settled this season and is an elite group.

Junior Chase Dollander is considered to be the nation's top college pitcher and a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Dollander went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA last season after transferring from Georgia Southern. He struck out 108 in 79 innings and was named the SEC pitcher of the year.

Chase Burns (8-2, 2.91 ERA, 103 strikeouts) was the Friday night starter through much of the season after spurning the MLB Draft to come to UT. He's a top 2024 MLB Draft prospect. Drew Beam (8-1, 2.72 ERA) was the SEC freshman of the year after being the surprise of the group and taking the Sunday starter spot and owning it.

"We kind of know what we got," Vitello said.

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Camden Sewell's return bolsters the pitching staff

Tennessee lost four of its top bullpen arms to either the MLB Draft or graduation. That made Camden Sewell's decision to return to UT significant. Sewell (7-1, 2.52 ERA in 2022) has been a staple of the Tennessee bullpen throughout his career, but is a versatile option who can also start. The Cleveland, Tennessee, native is 15-3 with a 2.53 ERA in 149⅓ innings.

Senior Kirby Connell (4-0, 1.66 ERA) returns as the most experienced left-handed reliever.

Junior Zander Sechrist (4-0, 1.67 ERA with 11 starts) was a steady midweek starter that can be used as a weekend reliever. Vitello has been high on Jake Fitzgibbons (3.86 ERA in six appearances) in the past and the junior looked ready to make good on his potential in the fall. Sophomore Wyatt Evans (2.25 ERA in 19 appearances) had a nice freshman season.

Zach Joyce and the new Tennessee pitchers to know

Tennessee's staff will be bolstered by a pair of known-but-still-new names and newcomers.

Seth Halvorsen (4-3, 6.00 ERA in 2021) transferred from Missouri prior to last season, but suffered an injury in January 2021 and setback in May that prevented him from debuting. Zach Joyce, the twin brother of Ben Joyce, rejoined the Vols after stepping away from baseball in the fall of 2020. The Farragut graduate was a high-strikeout pitcher at Walters State Community College prior to having Tommy John surgery.

"Both those guys have been on a mission literally from the instance they had an injury and had a few moments of being emotional about it and then have gotten after it," Vitello said of Halvorsen and Joyce.

Andrew Lindsey is one of UT's top offseason additions. He has drawn lofty reviews at UT after not pitching in 2022. He was 6-2 with a 4.89 ERA in 2021 for Charlotte. He can start, if needed.

Junior-college lefty Jake Bimbi will have a key role either as a shutdown bullpen option or midweek starter. Freshmen AJ Russell and Andrew Behnke will get innings. Junior-college arms Turner Swistak and Aaron Combs are options.

"The freshman class is going to be fun to work with," Vitello said. "I know they’re ambitious so we’ll see which couple, two, three guys jump up and are able to grab some really vital innings for us.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball: Can Chase Dollander lead College World Series run?