Austin Peay graduate transfer Jack Alexander fulfilled a lifelong dream on Thursday night of playing baseball in the SEC when he announced his decision to transfer to Tennessee.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity," Alexander told Volquest. "Talking with my family, I knew this would be the best decision for me. Unbelievable fan base, team and coaching staff. Being at Austin Peay last year, not too far away, I was able to watch from afar, I just knew it was something I wanted to be part of.”
Alexander was born in Tampa, Florida and then moved to Georgia when he was three, which is where he grew up before his family moved to Belton, Missouri right after he finished high school.
The 6-foot, 212-pound catcher signed with Notre Dame out of high school, but following two seasons with the Irish in which he made 24 starts behind the dish, he elected to transfer to Austin Peay.
“There were some other schools reaching out, great programs, but as far as the staff, the environment, everything that goes into it, I knew Tennessee was going to be the right fit for me," Alexander said. “Talking with the entire staff — Coach (Tony) Vitello, Coach (Josh) Elander and Coach (Frank) Anderson, I could tell it was a pretty special place with special people that really sticks up for their guys and develops them into better baseball players and better people, so that’s what sold me.
“You can just tell Coach Vitello really cares about what he does. It didn’t seem like a job or a business decision at all. It felt very personal and much more caring.”
Alexander had a terrific season for the Governors this past spring.
Offensively, he led the Govs' in batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.649), on-base percentage (.425), home runs (14), RBI (55), and walks (27) while finishing second in doubles (19).
Defensively, Alexander became just the fifth Peay catcher to throw out 20 or more runners stealing. He finished the season with 23 runners caught stealing – 12 of those coming in OVC play. He also caught 413.1 of 480.1 innings pitched this season – more than 86 percent of the total innings.
Alexander is now excited to get to Tennessee and work with Vols assistant coach Josh Elander who primarily works with the catchers, and is a former catcher himself.
“I had a conversation with Coach Elander for about 30 minutes just breaking down catching and hitting, bouncing ideas off of each other," Alexander said. "It was very evident that he knows his stuff really well. I really like that aspect as a catcher. Getting to work with somebody who eats, sleeps and drinks catching is pretty awesome.”
Alexander is also excited to get to catch a Tennessee pitching staff that returns the SEC Pitcher of the Year, the National Freshman of the Year and the SEC Freshman of the Year.
“I’m really excited," Alexander said. "That was an awesome aspect. Looking at what they did this past year and the crazy numbers they put up, and the stuff they have, I’m very excited to be working with them and jump in and start catching them.”
Alexander was a First Team All-OVC selection this past season. He was also one of three catchers named to the ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region Teams, which encompasses teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
“I try to stay pretty in the middle," Alexander said. "I don’t try to get too high or too low at times. I try to be a pretty consistent every day player, be the same guy every day. I just want to handle the staff as best I can.”
Alexander is the second transfer to commit to Tennessee this offseason, joining Kansas shortstop Maui Ahuna who announced his decision to play for the Vols last month.
Catcher is a position of need for the Vols as Evan Russell ran out of eligibility and moved on. They return Charlie Taylor, as well as Jared Dickey who is working on catching full-time this summer.
