It’s about that time.
Just like that, it’s almost time for baseball once again. Tennessee is a week away from officially opening their 2024 campaign, with Tony Vitello looking to reload and build off of another trip to the College World Series in 2023.
Ahead of opening day, the coaches around the SEC were asked to project a finishing order for the conference. The Volunteers were selected to finish second in the SEC East, trailing only Florida in the division. Vanderbilt closely followed Tennessee, narrowly coming in third with 73 points in the poll.
Arkansas edged out LSU in the west, 87-82.
SEC East 2024 Projections
1. Florida (11) 88
2. Tennessee (2) 75
3. Vanderbilt (1) 73
4. South Carolina 50
5. Kentucky 44
6. Georgia 36
7. Missouri 19
SEC West 2024 Projections
1. Arkansas (9) 87
2. LSU (5) 82
3. Texas A&M 68
4. Alabama 47
5. Auburn 46
6. Ole Miss 32
7. Mississippi State 23
Three Volunteers named to All-SEC teams
Tennessee placed three players on All-SEC teams in this preseason poll. Ace Drew Beam landed on the first team following a 9-4 record in 2023. Beam posted a 3.63 ERA for the year, striking out 88 batters. He enters 2024 as the unquestioned top arm for Tennessee.
Elsewhere, second baseman Christian Moore was named to the second team, along with Clemson INF transfer Billy Amick.
Moore is coming off of a 2023 season that saw him hit .304 at the plate. He hit 17 home runs and drove in 50 runs. Moore led Tennessee with a .444 on-base percentage. Amick put up a .413 batting average last season with Clemson, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 63 runs. He is expected to take over at third base for the Volunteers this year.
Tennessee will open their season next weekend in Texas, playing in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. The Volunteers will start with Texas Tech on Friday night (Feb. 16), then play Oklahoma on Saturday. Tennessee finishes up with Baylor on Sunday.