7 Tennessee Baseball Thoughts I Have Right Now

We're a week away from Tony Vitello's Volunteers beginning their title defense.

Feb 07, 2025

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We are officially a week away from the return of Tennessee baseball. Next Friday evening inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Tony Vitello’s Volunteers will be back on the diamond against Hofstra as the Vols begin their quest to become the first school to repeat as national champions in the sport since South Carolina pulled it off in 2010 and 2011.

With the return of the Vols being just seven days away, I thought it would be fun to write about my seven biggest preseason thoughts for Tennessee.

Let’s do it.

The San Francisco Giants had this problem years and years ago. It was a good problem to have, though. Indeed, the Giants were once the Even Year Kings in major league baseball. In 2010, 2012 and 2014, the team in orange and black won the World Series. In 2011, the Giants missed the postseason. In 2013, the Giants missed the postseason. Three championships in five seasons – and two missed postseasons. It was one of the weirder runs in professional sports in the 21st century. Could that could be something for Tennessee? In 2022 and 2024, the Vols were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA men’s Division 1 college baseball tournament. In the middle, the Vols had their most difficult season. At one point in ‘23, the Vols were 5-10 in conference play and that preseason No. 2 ranking felt like a distant memory. In ‘25, the Vols are ranked in a similar spot to that ‘23 team coming into the season. The key difference, of course, is that in ‘23 the team was coming off a stunning Super Regional elimination and in ‘25 the team is coming off a national championship. In some ways, though, I do worry a bit about the preseason expectations for these Vols with how much offensive firepower the team has to replace once again. Similar to 2023, pitching should be a huge strength, but replacing all of Christian Moore, Blake Burke, Billy Amick, Dylan Dreiling, and Kavares Tears in one offseason is the tallest of tasks. When you think about 2026, and what the potential lineup could be there offensively and on the mound, you don’t have to squint all that hard to see another special Even Year Run for Tennessee, do you?
I think Cannon Peebles should get the first crack at the leadoff spot in ‘25 for the Vols. I do not think this will ultimately be the case, but I do think it makes a lot of sense. There is a lot of offseason buzz surrounding true freshman LF/DH Jay Abernathy. However, outside of Abernathy, there really isn’t an obvious choice to get the most amount of at-bats in the leadoff spot for the Vols this season. Christian Moore and Seth Stephenson made all kinds of sense in 2022 and 2024. In ‘25, it’s a bit ambiguous right now. I think that’s why I would lean into Peebles. I argued in ‘23 that Jared Dickey should lead the Vols in at-bats in the leadoff spot. I think the case for Peebles is similar this season as a potential High OBP Guy for Vitello and the Vols this season. Peebles was great at the plate down the stretch for Tennessee last season and would make a lot of sense as a bridge leadoff guy until Abernathy is ready either later this season or in ‘26.
Is there another level Hunter Ensley can reach this season? He’s already proven to be an elite center fielder and elite baserunner. Is there another level he can get to at the plate this season? Could he be consistent enough to earn a spot in the top third of the lineup this season? Should he continue to hit somewhere in the five-to-seven range in the lineup? Could he add even more pop in his bat? He was nearly a .300 hit in 2024 and hit 12 home runs for the Vols. Could his final season on Rocky Top include 15-plus home runs and a .300-plus batting average? With Dreiling and Tears off to MiLB, Ensley is the lone returning starting outfielder. The former high school quarterback’s offensive numbers have climbed every season in Knoxville – can they climb one final time into an elite category for Vitello and the Vols in ‘25?
Tennessee rotated often at DH last season. It was a highly debated topic among fans and media here, myself included, but the Vols won the title and that rotation proved to not matter in the slightest. However, I do wonder if we see that same kind of rotation this season. Could we see Abernathy, Colby Backus, Stone Lawless, Andrew Fischer, Dalton Bargo, Peebles, Alberto Osuna and Levi Clark all rotate in and out of that role this season? Does one of those guys settle in and mash consistently enough to lock down the role all season long? I also wonder if the conversation and the frustrations are the same this season as they were a season ago if the rotation at that spot returns. Griffin Merritt isn’t walking through that door, so I suspect we will see a lot of Vols get an opportunity to DH for Tennessee this season once again.
Is there a lot of pressure on Reese Chapman to make the leap and become a star this season? There might not be a bigger wildcard in the starting nine than the talented junior. There is no Tears or Dreiling in front of Chapman this season. The opportunity is there for Chapman to have the kind of breakout that Tears and Dreiling had before him this season. Tennessee does, though, likely need a breakout season from Chapman with how much turnover this lineup has from a season ago. I think this lineup has a lot of potential, and the talented transfers should thrive in Knoxville, but I can’t help but think Chapman may prove to be one of those guys Tennessee needs to break through as a star to have a strong chance to repeat as national champions this season. The power is there, and, like Ensley, Tennessee could really benefit from Chapman hitting fifteen-plus home runs for the Vols this season.
Is Teegan Kuhns the next freshman ace for the Vols? It certainly sounds like this could be the case. The Vols have a great track record with guys like Kuhns when you look at Blade Tidwell, Drew Beam, Chase Burns, etc. The Vols may very well need Kuhns to be a reliable weekend starter right away as the team will have a new weekend starter in every spot in ‘25. With a lot of questions in regards to who is going to be the Sunday starter for the Vols, Kuhns and Ole Miss transfer southpaw Liam Doyle settling in on Fridays and Saturdays could prove to be huge for the Vols this season. (Note: The Vols have done very well with transfer starters on Friday nights in the past – Dollander in 2022, Andrew Lindsey in 2023 and the Chris Stamos and AJ Causey combination in 2024. Doyle being the latest transfer hit on Friday nights for the Vols seems like a good gamble.)
Which highly regarded recruit shines the most for the Vols in 2025? There is so much young talent on this team. I think it’s probably a good bet that several underclassmen shine this season for Tennessee. I do wonder, though, come June who will end up having the best season. The most likely candidates appear to be Abernathy, Clark, Lawless, Ariel Antigua and Hunter High. Vitello had the No. 1 recruiting class in 2024, which features a lot of the aforementioned players. Quite simply, this is too talented out of a class that a couple of these guys don’t flash as future superstars for Tennessee this season. Yes, Tennessee is aiming to repeat as national champions in 2025, but I suspect a lot of the conversation this season will be about the underclassmen and just how stacked the Vols could be in ‘26 and ‘27.

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