Tennessee Baseball Using Transfer Portal To Retool

The Tennessee Volunteers have been really been going after lots of top prospects in the transfer portal in order to be competitive for next seasons title.

Since the offseason for college baseball began, Tennessee has been one of the most active programs within the transfer portals. The Vols have landed six transfers and are formulating a way to remake a team that is primed for another college World Series run. However, with everyone the Volunteers have gained, they have also lost players to the portal. This includes talented relief pitcher Chase Burns and utility man Logan Chambers, as well as six others. 

The Volunteers have found replacements for the two players mentioned by name. Burns has a few replacement options in transfer pitchers A.J. Causey and Nate Snead. Chambers has a replacement option in Wofford College transfer Ryan Galanie. This shows how manager Tony Vitello is carefully collecting players from the portal that can replace what the 2023 roster provided. 

Tennessee manager Tony Vitello

This is key for the future as it keeps the Volunteers in title contention. What stands out amongst the transfers is that they all were somewhat good at the plate (among the position player transfers, that is). The Vols seemed to struggle to get the offense going at times once they got to Omaha, which halted them from going further in the tournament. This also matches up with the idea that the Vols are building towards being a contender again in 2024. And in two out of three seasons when Tennessee has made it to Omaha, it seems as if they are on the verge of breaking through for it.

Plenty of these transfers, such as Cannon Peebles and Galanie, were all-conference-worthy at their former schools. This talent is well-suited enough to transfer to the SEC, where some of the toughest baseball in the country is played. It will be interesting to see how this transfer class plays out. But Vitello and the rest of the Vols baseball program certainly have a special team in the works. 

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