2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 8 Tennessee

Image credit: Drew Beam (Photo By Ian Cox/Tennessee Athletics)

Last season: 44-22 (16-14), reached College World Series
Final ranking: No. 5
Coach (record at school): Tony Vitello (235-99, six seasons)

The good news: With a combination of key returners like first baseman Blake Burke and second baseman Christian Moore, the addition of powerful hitters like Billy Amick (Clemson) and Cannon Peebles (NC State) through the transfer portal and younger players like Dylan Dreiling and Kavares Tears set to step into bigger roles, the Tennessee lineup again looks formidable. Moore last season led the team in OPS (1.047, min. 100 AB) and his combination of power and speed (17 HR, 16 SB) makes him one of the most dynamic players in the conference. Power won’t be a problem for Tennessee, and it should be able to score runs in bunches.

The bad news: Tennessee is resetting its pitching staff. Four of the five pitchers who last season threw more than 50 innings have moved on and the Volunteers have more than 300 innings to replace. Returning to lead the new-look staff is righthander Drew Beam, who has established himself as one of the best starters in college baseball over the last two years. The Volunteers also return veteran lefthander Kirby Connell in the bullpen, but beyond them, it will be a lot of new faces, like righthanders AJ Causey (Jacksonville State) and Marcus Phillips (Iowa Western JC) or familiar faces in new roles, like righthander AJ Russell. While the pitching staff will be new, there’s plenty of reason for optimism based on the group’s talent and the work pitching coach Frank Anderson did a year ago to remake the staff midseason. What’s a little more uncertain is how Tennessee will defend. Peebles is set to take over behind the plate and freshman Ariel Antigua will step in at shortstop. Tennessee wasn’t elite defensively last season (.976 fielding, 10th in the SEC) and doesn’t need to be this season. But it does need Peebles and Antigua to keep it solid up the middle.

Player to know: Drew Beam, SP. Beam is entering his third season in the Tennessee rotation and is set to move into the role of No. 1 starter. He has been as consistent as nearly any starter in the nation, going 17-5, 3.20 with 150 strikeouts and 44 walks in 160.1 innings in his career. His fastball can reach the upper 90s and his curveball and changeup both are above-average offerings, but what really stands out about his profile is his control, which could be the best in the draft class.

Path to Omaha: Tennessee has the talent to make its third trip to the CWS in four seasons. To do it, the Volunteers will need to find the right mix on the mound behind Beam and live up to their offensive potential. One of the keys to the season will be sophomore righthander AJ Russell, who will move from the bullpen to the rotation. If he’s able to establish himself as a solid SEC starter, it would go a long way to helping Tennessee be able to stick to its successful blueprint on the mound. The Volunteers won’t struggle for offense, but need some leaders to emerge alongside Moore, especially following the loss of Jared Dickey. Like last season, Tennessee may need a bit of time to find the right alignments, but Vitello has proven he can get the Volunteers playing their best at the end of the season.

Pos.	Name	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI
C	Cannon Peebles	So.	Transfer—NC State
1B	Blake Burke	Jr.	.280	.369	.527	243	16	43
2B	Christian Moore	Jr.	.304	.444	.603	214	17	50
3B	Billy Amick	Jr.	Transfer—Clemson
SS	Ariel Antigua	Fr.	HS—Lake Worth, Fla.
OF	Dylan Dreiling	So.	.295	.433	.621	95	7	20
OF	Hunter Ensley	R-Jr.	.280	.391	.425	193	7	31
OF	Kavares Tears	R-So.	.304	.379	.518	56	2	11
DH	Dalton Bargo	So.	Transfer—Missouri
Pos.	Name	Class	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
SP	Drew Beam	Jr.	9	4	3.63	84	88	0
SP	AJ Russell	So.	2	0	0.89	30	47	0
SP	AJ Causey	Jr.	Transfer—Jacksonville State
RP	Marcus Phillips	So.	Transfer—Iowa Western JC
RP	Kirby Connell	R-Sr.	1	0	3.52	15	17	0
RP	Nate Snead	So.	Transfer—Wichita State