D1 Baseball considers Tennessee baseball transfer class one of best
Tennessee baseball reloaded in the transfer portal following another College World Series and did so at an elite clip.
UT's transfer class was ranked No. 3 in the nation by D1 Baseball on Wednesday after coach Tony Vitello and his staff landed some of the nation's best available bats and a bevy of pitching depth. Third baseman Billy Amick and catcher/designated hitter Cannon Peebles highlight Tennessee's class as transfers from Clemson and NC State, respectively.
Wake Forest's class ranked No. 1 with former Vols pitcher Chase Burns as the biggest reason. Reigning national champion LSU ranked second.
Who did Tennessee baseball recruit from the transfer portal?
Amick and Peebles had all-conference seasons in the ACC in 2023 before transferring to Tennessee.
Amick broke out as a sophomore at Clemson, moving into the starting lineup and establishing himself as a force in the middle of the order. He hit a team-best .413 and slugged .772 in 46 games. He hit 13 home runs and had 63 RBIs. Peebles, a switch-hitter, was an All-ACC freshman selection at NC State in 2023. The switch-hitting catcher hit .352 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 39 games.
UT also added Missouri's Dalton Bargo, who can play catcher, first base or the corner outfield positions. Bargo hit .279 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 50 games at Missouri as a freshman. He started 45 games
On the pitching side, Tennessee added Wichita State's Nate Snead, Jacksonville State's A.J. Causey and Cal's Chris Stamos. Snead is a hardthrowing right-handed pitcher who touched 100 mph last season. He posted a 3.16 ERA in 24 appearances with 53 strikeouts in 42.2 innings as a freshman
Causey had a 5-4 record with a 5.07 ERA as a sophomore, serving as the Game 1 starter. He struck out 89 in 761⁄3 innings. He was a reliever as a freshman and earned nine saves with a 2.61 ERA. He struck out 58 in 481⁄3 innings.
Stamos, a left-hander pitcher, was 3-3 with a 5.82 ERA in 20 games with four starts at Cal last season.
D1 Baseball included junior-college transfers among its transfer rankings. UT has a pair of notable additions in shortstop Alex Perry, who put up big offensive numbers at Pearl River in Mississippi. Marcus Phillips is a two-player who likely will pitch out of the bullpen for Tennessee this season.
Tony Vitello and Tennessee baseball use transfer portal well
It is the second straight offseason that Tennessee's transfer class was considered one of the nation's best. Baseball America ranked UT's transfer class last season as No. 3.
Pitcher Andrew Lindsey became UT's Friday night starter on the way to Omaha after transferring from Charlotte. ExAlabama third baseman Zane Denton had the biggest hit of UT's season when he slugged a lead-grabbing three-run homer on a two-strike pitch in the ninth inning at Clemson in the regional. Griffin Merritt, who transferred from Cincinnati, hit a walk-off homer against Vanderbilt in a weekend sweep that turned UT's season. Shortstop Maui Ahuna was UT's leadoff hitter and an essential everyday player.