With just two weeks left in the regular season, Tennessee baseball is making its final push toward the NCAA Tournament. After a tough series loss at Kentucky, the Vols' postseason profile took a small hit, but they're still firmly in the mix for a regional berth.

It's been a season of highs and lows for Tennessee (32-17, 11-13 SEC). They've proven they can hang with the nation's best, taking series wins against probable national seeds, but consistency has been elusive. Now, with only seven games remaining, every pitch matters as they polish their resume.

The Vols' biggest opportunity to boost their seeding comes this weekend when they host No. 4 Texas (36-10, 15-8) — the SEC's top-ranked team. It's a heavyweight showdown at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, with Game 1 on Thursday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+), Game 2 on Friday (6 p.m., SEC Network+), and the series finale on Saturday (noon, ESPN2).

"It's a very balanced group and very competitive, but that's what the SEC is," said Tennessee coach Josh Elander. "It's another really, really good opponent at home in Knoxville, and we're excited for the challenge."

So where do the Vols stand in the latest NCAA Tournament projections? Before the Kentucky series, they were a consensus No. 2 seed. Now, most experts see them slipping to a No. 3 seed.

D1baseball and Baseball America both project Tennessee heading to Atlanta as the No. 3 seed in a regional hosted by No. 2 overall seed Georgia Tech. USA TODAY has the Vols traveling to Los Angeles as the third seed in No. 1 overall seed UCLA's regional, while On3 also sends them to L.A. — but to Southern Cal's regional instead. The Tennessean's Aria Gerson remains bullish, still slotting Tennessee as the No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill regional hosted by North Carolina.

All these projections include at least 12 SEC teams, with Baseball America adding a 13th — Vanderbilt — as the last team in. For Tennessee, even a so-so finish should be enough to secure an NCAA Tournament spot. They moved off the bubble a few weeks ago, and now it's about playing their best baseball when it matters most.