Is Kentucky the most important remaining opponent for Tennessee baseball?

Tennessee baseball is headed into the back of SEC play with its highest ranking yet and its most important weekend series yet.

The No. 3 Vols are facing fast-rising No. 5 Kentucky, one of the nation's most surprising teams as the season turns toward May.

"We're in the middle of the year so (being ranked) certainly has a lot more value than being ranked 10th in the country or something like that before the season (which) isn't worth a bucket of gummy bears," coach Tony Vitello said Tuesday. "That is fairly valuable halfway through the year."

The Vols (31-6, 10-5 SEC) open the series against Kentucky (31-5, 14-1) on Friday (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Kentucky Proud Park.

Why Tennessee baseball's series at Kentucky is its most important yet

Tennessee is in sole possession of second place in the SEC East at the midpoint. It trails only Kentucky, which holds a four-game edge. The Vols are two games ahead of Vanderbilt and South Carolina, which are tied for third place at 8-7.

"The teams in our league have huge aspirations that come with all sorts of stuff at the end of the year," Vitello said. "But in the middle of the league (season), you're trying to win your division, you're trying to win the league. You're trying to finish in the top four where you get a (double)-bye in Hoover."

With a series win or sweep at Kentucky, the Vols will stay in the hunt for their third SEC East title in the past three seasons. That will likewise help position the Vols well for a double-bye in the SEC Tournament in late May.

A series loss would put the Vols behind schedule with critical series remaining at Vanderbilt, at Florida, and against South Carolina among the final four SEC weekends.

How Kentucky baseball has raced to a top-5 ranking

Kentucky was picked to finish fifth in the SEC East this season, but now is in the top-five nationally. The Wildcats have done it with their usual brand of baseball under coach Nick Mingione: They play a gritty, speedy, and don't-beat-yourself style.

"A complete offense and a proper pitching staff, or a pitching staff you would be proud of if you were a part of that squad," Vitello said. "You combine the two, and you got yourself a competitive team."

Kentucky has swept Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama and Auburn. Its lone SEC loss was to Missouri and has series remaining against No. 2 Arkansas, No. 12 Vanderbilt, and No. 21 South Carolina.

UK leads the SEC with 79 stolen bases, which is more than any other team has attempted. It has a league-leading 24 sacrifice bunts. Tennessee had its first of the season against LSU. The Wildcats have the second-fewest strikeouts in the conference with 262 and the second-most hit by pitches with 72.

Kentucky's pitching staff is holding opposing hitters to the second-lowest batting average at .217 and hits allowed at 251. It also has struck out the fewest batters in the SEC with 303 and allowed the least homers in 26, a byproduct of pitcher-friendly Kentucky Proud Park.

Tennessee had a nightmare at Kentucky in 2022

Tennessee's most recent series at Kentucky was a nightmare. The Vols were 19-2 and No. 1 two years ago, but lost the first two games to lose the series. It was the lone SEC series loss for the 57-win Vols.

RECORD:Blake Burke sets Tennessee baseball home run record with 41st homer

UT had won 10 straight road series dating back to a 2019 series at Arkansas before it lost that series in Lexington.

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.