KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee junior outfielder Alerick Soularie was the second Volunteer to be selected in the 2020 MLB Draft, going to the Minnesota Twins in the second round with the 59th overall pick.
Soularie was one of the most productive hitters in the Southeastern Conference as a sophomore in 2019. The Houston, Texas, native led the Vols in batting average (.357), slugging percentage (.602), on-base percentage (.466) and runs scored (52) while ranking second on the team in hits (70), home runs (11), runs batted in (46) and total bases (118), ranking him among the top five in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
After his breakout sophomore season, Soularie earned numerous postseason honors, including first team All-SEC recognition as well as All-America honors from D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game.
Despite a slow start in 2020, Soularie was hitting his groove entering SEC play before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season was called, the preseason All-American led the team with five home runs and ranked second on the squad with 17 runs batted in. In UT’s final game of the season – a 17-5 victory over ETSU – Soularie had three hits, blasted a pair of homers and tied a career high with four RBI.
Soularie is the fifth Tennessee player to be selected by the Twins.
Soularie joins fellow junior Garrett Crochet as Tennessee players selected so far in this year’s draft. UT has now had multiple players selected in the MLB Draft in each of the past seven years.
The 2020 draft is currently airing on ESPN2. Follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram for the most up-to-date coverage on Tennessee’s drafted players.
