Top Five Position Players From Tennessee's 2023 Season

With the season over, here are the top five position players from the Tennessee Volunteers' baseball team in 2023.

Author:
Alfred Ezman
Publish date:
Jul 1, 2023 4:32 PM EDT

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The Volunteers wrapped up the 2023 season with their sixth appearance in the College World Series with a final record of 44-22. Many great players impacted Tennessee's play on the field. So, here are the top 5 position players from the 2023 baseball season.

5. Zane Denton, Third Baseman

The senior out of Brentwood, Tennessee, had a crazy good postseason that could put him on this list alone. But he played very well overall throughout the year. Like many of the others coming on this list, Denton has a great ability to hit the deep ball, which happened a lot this season. He had 16 home runs this season, tied for third in the lineup. He also did this while batting a smooth .269 and had one of the best on-base percentages on the team at .403. The best stat about Denton, however, was his team-leading RBI numbers. He finished with 59 RBI. This came on 57 hits meaning that when he got the ball in play, it was almost always run-producing for the Vols.

4. Maui Ahuna, Shortstop

The transfer from Kansas' season began with some controversy regarding his eligibility. However, when he became cleared to play, he was a well-rounded hitter at the plate. He finished the season with a .312 batting average (second in the lineup), a solid OPS of .962, and easily led the team in doubles with 20. Ahuna may not be the biggest long-ball threat the Volunteers had, but he always seemed to get balls into play at a high rate. He was also top five in the Vols lineup in total hits (64). Ahuna also had lots of patience at the plate, as he was third on the team in walks (37) and had an OBP of .425.

3. Jared Dickey, Outfielder

Ar guably Tennessee's best bat all season, Dickey was the team leader in batting average with .328 and was one of five Volunteer batters in double figures for home runs on the season (12). When the Vols needed a form of revival from their offense, Dickey was often their man to look at. Not only did he lead the team in average, but he also led the team in hits (80). He didn't let pitchers get the better of him, either. He was a rare strikeout victim as he struck out only 34 times in 244 at-bats. His productivity at the plate and team-leading stats across the board make him one of the best players in this lineup this season.

2. Christian Moore, Infielder

After a tough start to the season, Moore began to turn it up a notch for Tennessee, especially in the postseason. He was one of the top OPS players on the team (1.047) and led the team in runs with 66. A season ago, Moore had half of that total, showing that he evolved heavily as a base runner in Knoxville. He also found his stride with hitting long balls this season. He was second on the team in that category all season with 17. However, above all, the one unearthed part of Moore's game was his team-leading walk total of 55 and team-leading on-base percentage of .444. Moore became one of the most impressive players at the plate for Tennessee this season. He had a consistent long ball and a lot of plate discipline, making him an extremely valuable hitter.

1. Griffin Merritt, Designated Hitter

First is the man who may have saved the Volunteers' season with a walk-off win against Vanderbilt on April 21st. That would spark a series sweep of the Commodores that seemed to reignite the season for Tennessee. That home run would be one of eighteen Merritt had all season. He led the Volunteers in the home run category and slugging percentage (.648). Merritt also had a batting average above .300 and was top five in the lineups with hits. He also had 48 RBI (4th in the lineup). Ultimately, Merritt's long ball was the best of any Tennessee player; it saved their season and helped them get through the rest of SEC play. It was huge, as the Volunteers were struggling in conference play beforehand.

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