Rutherford Times

Tennessee was well-represented on Perfect Game's 2023 Preseason All-America teams, which were announced by the organization on Thursday morning.

The Volunteers had four players selected with starting pitchers Chase Dollander and Chase Burns earning first-team recognition, fellow starting pitcher Drew Beam garnering second-team honors and transfer infielder Maui Ahuna snagging a spot on the third team.

Dollander, a consensus first-team All-American last season and the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, was also tabbed as Perfect Game's Preseason Pitcher of the Year. The Evans, Georgia, native posted a perfect 10-0 record as a sophomore and led the country with a 0.80 WHIP in 2022. He ranked second in the SEC with 108 strikeouts and led the conference with a 2.39 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .175 batting average.

Dollander enters his junior season as one of the top pitching prospects in recent memory and is projected to be one of the first players taken in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Burns joins Dollander as a first-team All-American after an incredible debut season that saw him earn freshman of the year or freshman pitcher of the year recognition from D1Baseball.com, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) 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 freshman campaign, 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 finished the 2022 season 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 year.

Rounding out the starting pitchers to garner preseason All-America status from Perfect Game was Beam, who is also coming off an unbelievable debut season that saw him take home SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native was a staple in UT's weekend rotation, earning unanimous Freshman All-America recognition 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 ranks fourth best all-time among Tennessee freshmen.

Ahuna was UT's lone position player to receive preseason All-America honors after transferring into the program following two standout seasons at 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 top 2023 MLB Draft prospect, Ahuna is considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the country on top of being very productive at the plate during his college career, posting a .357 batting average with 75 runs scored, 27 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 73 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Ahuna was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this past summer, as well.

Perfect Game released its preseason top-25 poll on Wednesday, as well, with the Vols coming in at No. 2, their highest preseason ranking in program history. 

 

2023 Tennessee Baseball Preseason Honors

INF Maui Ahuna

Preseason All-America Third Team – Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game

RHP Drew Beam

Preseason All-America Second Team – Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game

RHP Chase Burns

Preseason All-America First Team – Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game

RHP Chase Dollander

Perfect Game Preseason Pitcher of the Year

Preseason All-America First Team – Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game

RHP Camden Sewell

Preseason All-America Second Team – Collegiate Baseball

 

2023 Tennessee Baseball Preseason Rankings

Perfect Game - No. 2

Collegiate Baseball - No. 5 

Original source can be found here