Common sense would tell you this is a huge weekend for the University of Tennessee baseball team.

In reality, the Vols are thinking it's time to relax and take a breather.

The pressure's off, finally. LSU's coming to town.

That's the approach first-year coach Todd Raleigh wants his Vols to take into the SEC opening series against the Tigers at 7 tonight, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

"In some weird way," Raleigh said, "I hope the pressure goes off us and onto the other team.

"I called the guys together twice (against Presbyterian on Wednesday) and just said 'Hey, relax.' It feels like we've got the whole world on our shoulders all the time."

The Vols (9-4) have admittedly played tight at times in non-conference play, but what's there to be worried about now?

"Obviously, they picked us dead last (in the SEC) by a long shot," Raleigh said. "Maybe we'll go to that (for motivation).

"Obviously we won't play that way, but maybe we'll relax a little bit. It just feels like we're always pressing."

A chip-on-our-shoulder mentality could come in handy against a traditional power like LSU (11-3).

The Tigers and second-year coach Paul Mainieri are trying to find their own way back to the elite of the conference after a 29-26-1 finish a year ago.

At least UT players appear to be embracing the new approach.

"We don't have any pressure on us because everybody's picking us last," senior Shawn Griffin said. "We have a good team and we're going to prove that.

"It's our job as seniors to lead this team. We have a very young class and we're obviously going to have to show them the way, but we've got good players."

As for Raleigh, he's trying to shrug off the notion he'll have his own jitters to worry about in his first weekend of SEC competition.

"I'm excited about starting SEC play, but we've got a lot of work to do," he said. "It's probably not as big of a deal and some people think.

"I'm so focused on this team and getting them to play every single day, that I'm not that jacked up. I'm more focused on what we're doing."

The Vols have had a mixed bag of results with its pitching staff.

The starters - led by newcomers sophomore transfer Steve Crnkovich and reshirt freshman Bryan Morgado - have been the strength. The bullpen is giving pitching coach Fred Corral heartburn.

"He's not feeling too good about it right now," Raleigh said of Corral. "We've got good arms. We're just not pitching well.

"It's simple. If you pitch up and you're 2-0, 3-1 in counts, you're going to get hurt. I think that's what we're doing right now. We're just fighting through it."

Offensively, the Vols have been just as hot and cold.

Veterans have begun calling rookie center fielder Kentrail Davis the "freshman sensation" after his .474 start. But UT is hitting .273 as a team and still waiting for sophomores Yan Gomes (.172) and Jeff Lockwood (.188) to hit their stride with the bats.

At least Lockwood has some good memories of last season's series victory at Baton Rouge. He went 9-for-12 (.750) with four RBIs.

"We're starting to come around with conference play this weekend," Lockwood said. "I think it's going to be really interesting."

Notebook: Weather could be an issue with a 50 percent chance of rain tonight and a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start ... There is a planned fireworks show following tonight's game ... Raleigh is familiar with the LSU coaching staff, having coached Tigers' assistant Cliff Godwin at East Carolina and working on the same staff at James Madison with LSU pitching coach Terry Rooney.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.