Perfect game has been high on the Tennessee baseball program this preseason with several more accolades announced this week. One of which were six Volunteers who were listed among the publication’s top-100 collegiate juniors headed int the 2025 campaign.
Andrew Fischer (No. 14), Gavin Kilen (No. 25), AJ Russell (No. 30), Nate Snead (No. 38), Liam Doyle (No. 55) and Cannon Peebles (No. 92) were mentioned in the list. Perfect Game also named rookie Jay Abernathy as the third-best incoming college freshman, Hunter Ensley the second-best college senior and reserve Alex Perry the 73rd-ranked senior.
Dean Curley, who was mentioned as the No. 8 sophomore in the country by the website, was named a second-team preseason All-American by Perfect Game earlier this week along with right-handed flamethrower Nate Snead.
Earlier this week, Perfect game had Tennessee ranked no. 5 in their preseason rankings.
Fischer, who was added via the transfer portal form Ole Miss this offseason, was named second-team All-SEC in 2024 following his first and only year in Oxford where he hit .285 with 20 homers and 57 runs batted in. The hot corner defender struck out 53 times and walked on 35 occasions over 207 at-bats while also logging 10 doubles with a pair of triples. Fischer led the squad in home runs, RBI, hits (59) and was second in runs scored (47).
Fischer was a home run hitting machine this fall with Tennessee and put that power to display with a solo home run against the Hilltoppers in a Nashville exhibition. His glove has always been a question, but he looked sharp and confident at the hot corner this fall. He missed almost two weeks with illness during the tail end of camp, but made a return for the Fall World Series, driving in a run the series shifted back to Knoxville.
Kilen, who was added via the transfer portal form Louisville this offseason, picked up third-team All-ACC honors in 2024, finishing with a .330 average to go along with nine home runs, 41 runs batted in, 39 runs scored, 23 doubles and three triples. The infielder led the squad in hits, doubles and total bases while his 23 doubles were tied for fifth-most in program history. The sophomore started 54 of his 56 games at shortstop this past spring but played a lot of second base with Tennessee in the fall.
The 6-foot-6, 207-pound righty, Russell, is built for professional baseball while possessing a four-pitch mix on the mound. His 2024 season was cut short in what eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery, but he’s expected back midway through the 2025 season this spring. Russell was a three-time Freshman All-American and third-team All-American (NCBWA) in 2023 after going 2-0 over 24 appearances and 30.1 inning s pitched that featured 47 strikeouts to seven walks.
Snead, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound hard-throwing righty, burst onto the scene in SEC play last season after transferring in from Wichita State. He was a USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Participant last summer after logging 75.1 innings, in a variety of roles, with a 10-2 record over 29 appearances and one start. Snead struck out 61, walked 26 and locked down six saves out of the bullpen.
Doyle tossed 55 innings over 16 appearances with 11 starts, contributing a 3-4 record with an ERA of 5.73 last season with Ole Miss before transferring to Tennessee this summer. The lefty struck out 84 batters, walked 21 and opponents hit .230 against him.
The lefty is on track to be Tennessee’s Opening Day starter this spring. He’s got a positive track record on the mound dating back to his freshman season at Coastal Carolina. Since arriving at Tennessee, the southpaw has dropped closed to 20 pounds and his velocity has increased to the upper 90s at times. That’s big considering he was sitting low-to-mid 90s during a spring start with Ole Miss against the Vols last year.
Doyle tossed two clean innings in an exhibition start against Western Kentucky in the fall, where he allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out four over 20 pitches. Prior to the rain pushing Game 1 of the Fall World Series back to Knoxville, Doyle tossed another two clean innings with five strikeouts on 27 pitches in Chattanooga.
Peebles earned the opening day start for the Vols behind the plate last season but was Cal Stark’s backup for the majority of the year. Still, Peebles hung I there and delivered some crucial postseason at-bats for the Vols, who went on to win the College World Series in June. Overall, in his first season with Tennessee in 2024, Peebles hit .216 with two home runs, 24 runs batted in and 30 runs scored.
As a NCBWA First Team Freshman All-American and member of the All-ACC Freshman Team, Peebles led the Wolfpack with a .352 batting average, .697 slugging percentage and .456 on-base percentage as a freshman in 2023. He tied for the team-high of 50 RBI and was second with 12 home runs over just 142 at-bats before transferring to Tennessee.
Tennessee opens the 2025 season at home against Hofstra on Friday, February 14.
Tennessee Vols in the 2025 Preseason Rankings
Perfect Game – No. 5
Tennessee Vols 2025 Preseason Accolades
SS Dean Curley: Second-Team All-American (Perfect Game) | No. 8 sophomore in country (Perfect Game)
RHP Nate Snead: Second-Team All-American (Perfect Game) | No. 38 junior in country (Perfect Game)
3B Andrew Fischer: No. 14 junior in country (Perfect Game)
RHP AJ Russell: No. 30 junior in country (Perfect Game)
INF Gavin Kilen: No. 25 junior in country (Perfect Game)
LHP Liam Doyle: No. 55 junior in country (Perfect Game)
C Cannon Peebles: No. 92 junior in country (Perfect Game)
OF Hunter Ensley: No. 2 senior in country (Perfect Game)
UTL Alex Perry: No. 73 senior in country (Perfect Game)
UTL Jay Abernathy: No. 3 Best Freshman (Baseball America) | No. 6 Best Freshmen (Perfect Game)
UTL Levi Clark: No. 21 Best Freshman (Perfect game)
RHP Tegan Kuhns: No. 46 Best Freshman (Perfect game)
RHP Anson Seibert: No. 52 Best Freshman (Perfect game)
MIF Manny Marin: No. 56 Best Freshman (Perfect game)
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