Vols outfielder stepping away from program for semester
Tennessee freshman outfielder Alex Stanwich is stepping away from the program for the spring semester, Tony Vitello told the media on Friday afternoon while previewing preseason practice. The hope is that Stanwich will rejoin the Vols in the fall.
Stanwich was one of Tennessee's top signees in the class of 2023. The Tinley Park, Illinois native was considered by Perfect Game as the No. 127 overall player in the country, the No. 29 outfielder and the No. 6 overall player in the state of Illinois. Perfect Game considered Stanwich a '10' on its player rating system, which is defined as a 'potential very high draft pick and/or elite level college prospect.'
"We kind of felt that we had a three-headed monster (in the outfield), and we still could with Stanwich, (Dylan) Dreiling and (Reese) Chapman," Vitello said. "With Stanwich, he’s going to take a semester to get some things sorted out and then ideally is back here in the fall to join his two buddies. Those three kids are as talented as Drew (Gilbert) and Jordan (Beck)."
Stanwich helped piece together a Tennessee freshman class that D1Baseball.com considered No. 24 overall in the country. In fact, Stanwich was the first name mentioned by the publication in their write-up about the Vols' group of rookies.
"Although this is more of a modest group in size, it has become difficult to bet against any Vols’ class given the recent track record of development with immense success," D1Baseball wrote. "A trio of talented outfielders, all Top 250 recruits according to Prep Baseball Report, are set to be the difference makers of the bunch. At the top, OF Alex Stanwich leads the bunch thanks to a dynamic skill set that includes eye-opening exit velocities from the right side with what is best described as freaky athleticism. The Illinois-native has the explosive potential to blossom into a Jordan Beck-esq prospect in three years.
"Both OF Dylan Dreiling and OF Reese Chapman each enter the box from the left side with the intent to do damage while maintaining impressive plate discipline and driving the balls to all fields. Nearly equally as high in upside as Stanwich, both Dreiling (Kansas) and Chapman (Colorado) hail from colder weather states that should figure for steeper learning curves, but have instead hit the ground running with a chance to challenge for time early. Their steady development is likely to have the Vols running out another imposing trio of outfielders in the next three years."
Chapman was ranked as the No. 175 overall player in the country by Perfect Game and the No. 1 player in the state of Colorado, while Dreiling was ranked as the No. 293 overall player and the No. 2 player in the state of Kansas, respectively. Both have impressed since stepping foot on campus last summer and are expected to factor into the outfield rotation when the Vols open the season on Feb. 17.
"Guys that deserve playing time as of now in Arizona, Reese and Dylan have to be included in that conversation," Vitello said. "Like Drew and Jordan, they’re finally the wave of guys that we’re getting that say no to the draft. Not that it is wrong to say yes to the draft, but the SEC is littered with guys who could have went pro out of high school, but are attracted to the conference. Fortunately, those numbers of guys are starting to stack up for us, and that’s the easiest way to describe Dylan and Reese. They were capable of doing that out of high school, and at the same time, they’re young, so they have a lot to learn. Exciting future for those two guys at those spots, and to be honest with you, they should be thinking the future is now.”
Tennessee returns fifth-year senior Christian Scott, junior Kyle Booker and redshirt-freshman Kavares Tears in the outfield after it lost Gilbert and Beck to the MLB Draft off of last season's historic team that won a program-record 57 games, the SEC regular-season title and the SEC Tournament. It earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before coming up one game short of a return trip to Omaha for the College World Series.
The Vols added Cincinnati outfielder Griffin Merritt and Colby Backus out of nearby Walters State in addition to the freshmen outfielders. Merritt was the AAC Player of the Year last season while with the Bearcats and is expected to start in one of Tennessee's corner outfield spots. He finished the 2022 season with 19 home runs, 37 extra-base hits, 53 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
Tennessee will open the 2023 season on Feb. 17 when it participates in the MLB4 Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. It'll play Arizona that Friday night, Grand Canyon on Saturday (Feb. 18) and UC San Diego on Sunday (Feb. 19) of that weekend to begin Vitello's sixth season on Rocky Top.
UT'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.
