Tennessee baseball to play exhibitions vs Western Kentucky in Nashville, Troy in Jackson

Tennessee baseball will play two exhibition games in late October.

The Vols will play Western Kentucky on Oct. 25 in Nashville and face Troy on Oct. 27 in Jackson. Game times and ticket information will be announced at a later date. UT and Western Kentucky will play at First Horizon Park in Nashville, where they played against Samford in an exhibition in 2023. The Vols and Troy will play at Jackson Baseball Stadium, where they faced Memphis in a 2022 exhibition.

Tennessee won the College World Series in 2024, claiming the program's first national title in coach Tony Vitello's seventh season. The Vols became the first team in SEC history to win 60 games, finishing 60-13 after topping Texas A&M in the CWS finals.

Who returns for Tennessee baseball in 2024?

Shortstop Dean Curley and center fielder Hunter Ensley return up the middle defensively and in the middle of the lineup. Nate Snead is the most proven returning pitcher, while AJ Russell is returning from Tommy John surgery and could make an impact later in the season.

Pitchers Dylan Loy, Marcus Phillips and Andrew Behnke look ready to be notable parts of the pitching staff. Tennessee returns catcher Cannon Peebles, outfielder Reese Chapman and utility Dalton Bargo in the lineup.

Catcher Stone Lawless and infielder Blake Grimmer redshirted in 2024 but could make a big jump next season. The same is true for infielder Hunter High, who played sparingly as a freshman.

Who did Tennessee baseball get in the transfer portal?

The Vols did elite work in the transfer portal once again.

Tennessee added more starpower to its infield with Louisville transfer Gavin Kilen and former Ole Miss slugger Andrew Fisher. UT landed starting pitcher Liam Doyle from Ole Miss to bolster its weekend rotation. Tanner Franklin committed to the Vols as a hard-throwing reliever transferring from Kennesaw State.

Tennessee baseball signed one of the nation's best recruiting classes

Tennessee signed one of the nation's best recruiting classes and didn't lose many prospects to the MLB Draft.

Pitchers Tegan Kuhns and Anson Siebert were a pair of big wins for the Vols who ended up at UT instead of signing in the draft. Kuhns is a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher who was ranked the No. 45 prospect nationally by Perfect Game. Siebert is UT's highest-ranked recruit as the No. 35 player.

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Catcher/first baseman Levi Clark is Tennessee's top-ranked offensive signee as the No. 36 prospect. Middle infielder Jay Abernathy was ranked No. 61. Shortstops Manny Marin and Chris Newstrom are ranked No. 88 and No. 118, respectively. Outfielder Jaxon Walker, who played at Loudon High School, is ranked No. 94.

Pitchers Aiden Hayse, Brayden Krenzel, Tate Strickland and Ryler Smart all will be Vols and are top-200 recruits.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball to play exhibitions vs Western Kentucky in Nashville, Troy in Jackson