The first day of the 2021 College World Series set the benchmark for the rest of the tournament.

The Tennessee Volunteers, Virginia Cavaliers, Texas Longhorns and Mississippi State Bulldogs have to live up to the standard created by the NC State Wolfpack and Vanderbilt Commodores in their respective wins.

NC State blasted the Stanford Cardinal pitching staff for 10 runs, while Vanderbilt advanced into the winners' bracket through a walk-off win in extra innings against the Arizona Wildcats.

Sunday's opener between Tennessee and Virginia could be all about pitching, as Andrew Abbott toes the rubber for the Cavaliers. Abbott drew a tough opening assignment at TD Ameritrade Park, but he has been up to the task in most of his starts this season.

The nightcap between Texas and Mississippi State could produce the most offensive fireworks of the first set of games. The teams produced 10 or more runs on six occasions in the opening two rounds of the NCAA baseball tournament.

Sunday College World Series Schedule

No. 3 Tennessee vs. Virginia (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Mississippi State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Games can be live-streamed on ESPN.com or ESPN app.

Previews

No. 3 Tennessee vs. Virginia

Tennessee puts its perfect NCAA tournament record on the line against Abbott and Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

The Volunteers secured their spot in Omaha, Nebraska, by way of a 15-6 demolition of the LSU Tigers in Game 2 of the Knoxville super regional.

Tennessee's offense put up nine or more runs in three of its five NCAA tournament games. If it gets runs off Abbott and wins its CWS opener, that will be viewed as its best offensive accomplishment of the postseason.

Abbott conceded four earned runs in each of his past two starts, but he has the stuff to overpower any lineup in any mound appearance. He ranks third in strikeouts in Division I behind the Vanderbilt pairing of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. The Vanderbilt duo combined to strike out 18 Tennessee batters during their April series in SEC play.

The Virginia ace is the main draw of the pitching matchup against Chad Dallas, but the Vols hurler has been impressive in the postseason.

Dallas whiffed 12 LSU batters over six innings to kick off the Knoxville super regional. That performance was a welcome sight after he did not last five innings against the Wright State Raiders in his team's NCAA tournament opener.

If Abbott and Dallas pitch at their best, Sunday's opener could be a low-scoring affair. Four of Virginia's seven NCAA tournament contests featured seven or fewer runs, so we may have to ease into the scoring excitement in Omaha.

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Mississippi State

It may not matter which pitchers take the mound for the nightcap if the Texas and Mississippi State offenses stay hot.

Texas blew through its regionals with four double-digit run performances and an average margin of victory of 7.4 runs.

Mississippi State's games have been a bit closer, but it still displayed plenty of pop at the dish. The Bulldogs plated 20 runs in their two wins over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Starkville super regional.

The danger in Texas' lineup begins with leadoff man Mike Antico, who went 3-for-7 in the pair of wins over the South Florida Bulls at the Austin super regional. Antico drew three walks and stole a base against South Florida, and if he gets on multiple times Sunday, the Longhorns could start a few rallies.

Rowdey Jordan carries the same impact at the top of Mississippi State's order. He scored five runs in the two wins over Notre Dame and crossed the plate twice in Game 3 despite not recording a hit.

If both leadoff men reach base multiple times, their teammates should drive them in and it could create a shootout to close out the first round.

Whichever pitching staff gets the first batter out could have the edge in the No. 2 vs. No. 7 clash. It seems like a simple strategy, but that is how influential both leadoff men are to their respective squads.

Statistics obtained from D1Baseball.com.