DALLAS – Tennessee had six players tabbed as preseason All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Thursday.
The Vols’ six selections were the most of any team in the country, edging out Stanford (five) and LSU (four), respectively.
The NCBWA became the fourth organization to name all three of the Vols’ projected weekend starting pitchers preseason All-Americans as Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam occupied three of the six starting pitcher spots on the first team.
Dollander and Burns have now earned unanimous preseason first-team All-America status after also being named first-teamers by D1Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball News and Perfect Game.
Joining UT’s trio of starting pitchers was junior shortstop Maui Ahuna (second team), senior reliever Kirby Connell (second team) and graduate senior pitcher Camden Sewell (third team).
Dollander is regarded as one of the top draft prospects in the country entering this season following a stellar sophomore year in 2022 which saw him earn consensus first-team All-America honors and become just the second player in program history to be named SEC Pitcher of Year.
The Evans, Georgia, native posted a perfect 10-0 record and led the country with a 0.80 WHIP. He also finished second in the SEC with 108 strikeouts and led the league with a 2.39 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a paltry .175 batting average.
Burns was one of the top freshmen in the country in 2022, earning freshman of the year or freshman pitcher of the year recognition from the NCBWA, D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball News while garnering unanimous Freshman All-America honors. The hard-throwing right hander was the first pitcher in program history to earn three national award honors in the same season.
Burns was also named to four All-America teams following his debut season, joining former AL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey (1994) as the only players in program history to be selected to four All-America teams as true freshmen. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native had a phenomenal freshman campaign for the Big Orange, finishing with an 8-2 record and 2.91 ERA to go along with 103 strikeouts while serving as the Vols’ Friday night starter for the majority of the season.
Beam was also a unanimous Freshman All-American after a standout season in 2022. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native was a staple in UT’s weekend rotation, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors after posting an 8-1 record to go along with a 2.72 ERA over a team-high 15 starts. Beam held opposing hitters to a .186 batting average and had an impressive 0.93 WHIP. His 2.72 ERA was the fourth best all-time among Tennessee freshmen. Beam has earned preseason All-America honors from four of the five majors outlets this year.
Ahuna joins the Vols after two impressive seasons at the University of Kansas, where he garnered first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022 and was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection as a true freshman in 2021.
Another highly regarded 2023 MLB Draft prospect, Ahuna is considered one of the top defensive shortstops in the country while also boasting impressive numbers at the plate during his collegiate career, posting a .357 batting average with 75 runs scored, 27 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 73 RBIs and 21 stolen bases over the past two seasons with the Jayhawks. Ahuna earned the honor of playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this past summer, as well. Like Beam, Ahuna has been recognized as a preseason All-American by four of the five major outlets.
Connell quietly put together one of the better seasons of any reliever in the SEC last season, leading the Vols with a 1.66 ERA in a team-high 30 appearances. The crafty lefty posted a perfect 4-0 record and held opposing hitters to a .199 batting average while racking up 36 strikeouts and issuing just six walks in 38.0 innings of work out of the bullpen. This marks Connell’s first preseason All-America nod in his career.
A Swiss army knife for the Big Orange, Sewell has been one of the Vols’ most versatile and productive arms throughout his time on Rocky Top, boasting a 15-3 overall record with a 2.53 ERA and 136 strikeouts over 70 appearances (10 starts) while holding opposing hitters to a .196 batting average.
The Cleveland, Tennessee, native has developed a reputation of being one of the team’s top big-game performers and has shined in late season and postseason contests throughout his career. Sewell was named to the 2021 SEC All-Tournament team and the 2021 NCAA Knoxville All-Regional team as a junior before helping lead Tennessee to the SEC Tournament title last year by tossing five shutout innings against Florida in the championship game.
The full NCBWA Preseason All-America teams can be seen HERE.
The second-ranked Vols open their 2023 campaign on Feb. 17 when they take on Arizona at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona. UT will also square off against Grand Canyon and UC San Diego out in Arizona before hosting Alabama A&M in its home opener on Feb. 21 at 4:30 p.m.
Tennessee’s complete list of preseason honors/rankings can be found below.
2023 Tennessee Baseball Preseason Honors
INF Maui Ahuna
Preseason All-America Second Team – NCBWA
Preseason All-America Third Team – D1Baseball, Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game
RHP Drew Beam
Preseason All-America First Team – NCBWA
Preseason All-America Second Team – Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game
Preseason All-America Third Team – D1Baseball
RHP Chase Burns
Preseason All-America First Team – D1Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game
LHP Kirby Connell
Preseason All-America Second Team – NCBWA
OF/C Jared Dickey
Preseason All-America Third Team – Baseball America
RHP Chase Dollander
Perfect Game Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Preseason All-America First Team – D1Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game
RHP Camden Sewell
Preseason All-America Second Team – Collegiate Baseball
Preseason All-America Third Team – NCBWA
2023 Tennessee Baseball Preseason Rankings
D1Baseball.com – No. 2
USA Today – No. 2
Baseball America – No. 2
NCBWA – No. 2
Perfect Game – No. 2
Collegiate Baseball News – No. 5
-UT Athletics
