Chase Burns has entered the transfer portal following two seasons with Tennessee baseball. Coach Tony Vitello confirmed the news on The Sports Animal on Tuesday morning.
The Vols pitcher immediately is one of the top talents in the portal and will be one of the most coveted players on the market. He is an expected top-10 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Burns went 13-5 with a 3.54 ERA at Tennessee. He struck out 217 in 152⅓ innings and made 22 starts among his 35 appearances.
He proved himself to be a dominant reliever as a sophomore after a terrific freshman campaign as a starter.
Burns struggled starting in his second season and eventually was moved to the bullpen midway through SEC play. He pitched incredibly as a reliever, shutting down Vanderbilt in multiple appearances in UT’s sweep against the Commodores. He had tremendous postseason outings against Clemson in the regional and Southern Miss in the super regional. He was at his best in a six-inning scoreless showing against Stanford in the College World Series, pitching UT to its first CWS win since 2001.
The Gallatin, Tennessee, native finished 5-3 with a 4.25 ERA in 2023. He struck out 114 in 72 innings, giving him one of the best strikeouts-per-nine-inning rates in the nation. He had 22 strikeouts in 16 innings in four postseason outings. He has allowed one run on eight hits with five walks in those showings.
Burns was 2-3 with a 6.10 ERA as a starter in 2023. He was 8-2 with a 2.91 ERA as a freshman, garnering multiple All-American honors.
FINAL: How will Tennessee baseball season be remembered in 2023? Choose Tony Vitello’s way
Burns was a highly regarded recruit out of Beech High School. He passed up the 2021 MLB Draft in order to come to Tennessee. He was drafted in the 20th round by the San Diego Padres.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @By MikeWilson. 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 pitcher Chase Burns enters NCAA transfer portal