Two Vols were included in MLB.com’s first mock draft for this upcoming June’s 2023 MLB Draft.
In MLB Pipeline’s initial mock draft for 2023 that it released on Wednesday, analyst Jonathan Mayo projected Tennessee right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander being drafted No. 2 overall by the Washington Nationals. Dollander is currently projected by many to be the first college pitcher selected in the 2023 MLB Draft.
“The best arm in the class,” Mayo wrote. “Last year, there wasn’t a college pitcher who belonged in conversations up here, but Dollander, considered by some to be the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole, could end up going 1-1.”
Dollander was the SEC Pitcher of the Year last season after transferring from Georgia Southern. He went 10-0 with an ERA of 2.39 in 14 starts in his first season with the Vols on his way to becoming a consensus All-American. Over 79.0 innings of work, Dollander walked just 13 hitters, struck out 108 hitters and only allowed opponents to hit .175 off of him.
Mayo’s co-worker Jim Callis agrees that Dollander is one of the best pitching prospects that college baseball has seen over the last several seasons. Callis and Mayo discussed just how good Dollander is as a prospect on their MLB Pipeline podcast earlier this week.
“I think he’s — depending on how far back you want to go — he’s probably the best college pitching (prospect),” Callis said on the podcast. “He’s better than Jack Leiter. He’s better than Kumar Rocker. He’s better than Casey Mize. I think you have to go back to Gerrit Cole in 2011 or Stephen Strasburg in 2009 to find a college pitching prospect better than Chase Dollander. He’s got the potential for four-plus pitches, plus control, tremendous track record.
“He’s firmly in that mix (to be the No. 1 overall pick), too. There’s always risk for pitchers, but he’s about as good a college pitching prospect as we’ve seen in the last decade.”
Dollander was joined on the mock draft by new Vols shortstop Maui Ahuna, who transferred to Knoxville from Kansas in June. Mayo currently projects Ahuna to be drafted No. 18 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers.
“Ahuna can hit, really run and really defend at a premium position,” Mayo wrote. “What’s not to like? The Brewers aren’t afraid to surprise folks, but they’ve taken four college bats early in the last three Drafts.”
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound infielder picked the Vols following a breakout season with the Jayhawks. Ahuna earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as he hit .396 at the plate to go along with eight home runs and 48 RBIs. He hit 16 doubles and four triples.
Ahuna was of four transfers Tony Vitello added following a historic season. Baseball America considers Ahuna the fourth-best transfer this cycle, as Tennessee also added Alabama third baseman Zane Denton, Cincinnati outfielder Griffin Merritt and Charlotte transfer Andrew Lindsey. Merritt is considered the 11th-best transfer, while Denton is the 19th-best, respectively.
Tennessee concluded its fall baseball season in November with its annual Orange & White World Series. The Vols also played two 18-inning scrimmages this fall and won both. They hosted Wake Forest at Lindsey Nelson Stadium before traveling to Jackson, Tennessee to face Memphis.
Vitello and the Vols will open up the 2023 season on Feb. 17 when it participates in the MLB4 Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. The MLB4 field consists of the Vols, Arizona, Fresno State, Michigan and San Diego. Tennessee’s opponents have not yet been decided, but it’ll play a game on Friday, Saturday (Feb. 18) and Sunday (Feb. 19) of that weekend.
Tennessee’s first two home games will be on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22 when it hosts Alabama A&M for a pair of midweek games. It’ll then host Dayton that weekend (Feb. 24-26) for its first three-game home series of the season. The Vols will be in the midst of playing 15 consecutive home games leading into SEC play beginning on March 17 with a trip to Missouri.
During the non-conference schedule, Tennessee will also host Gonzaga (March 3-5) and Morehead State (March 10-12) for a three-game series. The most notable midweek game will be against Boston College on Tuesday, March 7. In addition to Alabama A&M and Boston College, the Vols will also play midweek games against Charleston Southern for two games (Feb. 28, March 1), Lipscomb (March 14), Western Carolina (March 21), UNC Asheville (March 28), Eastern Kentucky (April 11), Tennessee Tech (April 18), Bellarmine (April 25), Wofford (May 2), Austin Peay (May 9) and Belmont (May 16).
Tennessee will play Texas A&M, Florida, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky at home during SEC play. It’ll travel to Missouri, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina.