No. 3 Tennessee Baseball 2025 College Top 25 Preview

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Dean Curley (Photo Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics)

• Last season: 60-13 (22-8 SEC); won College World Series
• Final 2024 ranking: No. 1
• Coach (record at school): Tony Vitello (295-112, 8th season)

You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.

The Good News

The Volunteers put together a strong case for best college baseball team of all-time in 2024 when they won more games (60) than any team since 2002, won the most by a national-title winner since Wichita State in 1989, ranked first in the country in scoring and ranked sixth in team ERA. In a way, the Volunteers’ title felt overdue under head coach Tony Vitello, whose teams had reached Omaha twice in the two years prior but hadn’t hoisted the trophy. Now, armed with elite transfer and returning talent, they’re geared up to try to do it again. From its championship squad, Tennessee returned catcher Cannon Peebles, first baseman Dalton Bargo, shortstop Dean Curley, third baseman Colby Backus, outfielders Hunter Ensley and Reese Chapman and starting pitcher Nate Snead, among others. The Vols then piled on the No. 7 transfer class in the nation, which included Louisville shortstop Gavin Kilen (BA No. 3 overall), Ole Miss third baseman Andrew Fischer (No. 6), Ole Miss southpaw Liam Doyle (No. 20) and Kennesaw State righthander Tanner Franklin (No. 63). Freshman outfielder Jay Abernathy was one of the top high schoolers to reach campus, too.

The Bad News

While Tennessee’s returning experience and transfer talent are immensely valuable building blocks toward another elite team, many of the aforementioned players are stepping in for the 2024 starters who have moved onto the pros. Second baseman Christian Moore, first baseman Blake Burke, third baseman Billy Amick, outfielder Dylan Dreiling, pitchers Drew Beam, AJ Causey and Aaron Combs and outfielder Kavares Tears were selected in the top eight rounds after putting together huge years for the Volunteers. They leave sizable shoes to fill for Tennessee’s new talent.

Player To Know

A Baseball America Second-Team Freshman All-American and USA Collegiate National Team participant, shortstop Dean Curley will look to build on one of the most impressive debut seasons in the country, which saw him hit .285/.386/.502 with 12 home runs, 50 RBI, 10 doubles and 51 runs. Curley has plus power to the pull side and has shown promising feel-to-hit with a 90% overall in-zone contact rate. The 6-foot-3 infielder’s 107 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was the best among college hitters who had a contact rate of at least 80%. There’s a chance Vitello slides Curley over to second and starts Kilen at shortstop, but the Volunteers will still look to the former for his leadership after he helped take the program to a title last year. Curley is one of the top draft-eligible sophomores in 2025.

Path To Omaha

If the Volunteers get several players to transition smoothly into starting roles for the first time in their careers, there’s not much in their way of reaching the College World Series for the fourth time in five years. It is an exceptionally difficult feat, however, as only three of the last 10 national championships have returned to Omaha the following year.

Projected 2025 Lineup

Pos	Player	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI	Note
C	Cannon Peebles	Jr.	.216	.379	.328	116	2	24
1B	Dalton Bargo	Jr.	.280	.373	.551	107	8	27
2B	Gavin Kilen*	Jr.	.330	.361	.591	215	9	41	Louisville
3B	Andrew Fischer*	Jr.	.285	.397	.643	207	20	57	Ole Miss
SS	Dean Curley	So.	.285	.386	.502	221	12	50
OF	Colby Backus	R-Sr.	.387	.500	.968	31	5	12
OF	Hunter Ensley	R-Sr.	.296	.390	.532	216	12	48
OF	Reese Chapman	Jr.	.274	.399	.519	106	7	31
DH	Jay Abernathy	Fr.							North Cobb HS – Kennesaw, Ga.
Pos	Player	Year	GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB	Note
SP	Nate Snead	Jr.	1	75.1	3.11	1.29	61	26
SP	Liam Doyle*	Jr.	11	55.0	5.73	1.26	84	21	Ole Miss
SP	Brandon Arvidson*	Jr.	9	61.0	3.84	1.43	108	47	San Jacinto CC
RP	Marcus Phillips	Jr.	2	20.0	4.95	1.50	22	15
RP	Tegan Kuhns	Fr.