17d ago baseball Edit

Christian Moore tops Tennessee baseball all-time home run list

Jun 17, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Tennessee Volunteers second baseman Christian Moore (1) reacts after getting struck out against the LSU Tigers during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports (Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports)

Noah Taylor • VolReport

Managing Editor

Noah is a graduate of the UT College of Journalism & Electronic Media and has covered Tennessee football since 2019. He joined Rivals in 2022.

Tennessee has a new career home run leader.

Less than two weeks after Blake Burke claimed the record, his teammate and Vols’ junior second baseman Christian Moore moved into first place on the all-time home run list.

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Moore mashed the 20th home run of the season and the 45th of his career in the top of the seventh inning of No. 4 Tennessee’s series finale against No. 3 Kentucky on Sunday, topping Burke’s 44 home runs over the last three seasons.

It was Moore's second home run of the game, the first tying Burke for the lead and the second tied moving him into first place while tying a back-and-fourth Game 3 between two top five teams at 8-8.

Burke, who moved into first place in program history over Condredge Holloway for consecutive games with a hit at 28 against Kentucky in Game 1 on Friday, became the program’s home run leader in a 12-2 win over Auburn on April 6. It was the 41st of his career, topping previous record-holder Luc Lupcius.

Moore tied the record with his 42nd home run in game 3 of the Vols' series against LSU on April 12 and then tied it again vs. Kentucky with a leadoff home run on Saturday before Burke snatched it back with a homer in the next at-bat.

Moore tied the record for the third time in a week with a two-run home run to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead in the third inning on Sunday.

“We talk about (the record),” Burke told reporters last Sunday. “Whoever wins it, wins it. If we can tie, then we want a tie.”

“We kind of joke about it a little bit. It’s fun to be in this situation,” Moore added. “I would like to tie, so nobody has bragging rights.”

Moore and Burke are followed by Lipcius (40), Evan Russell (39), Todd Helton (38), Doug Hecker (37), Cody Hawn (36), Sonny Cortez (36), Jordan Beck (34) and Bobby Tucker (34).

Tennessee is looking to claim its fifth-straight conference series. The Vols trailed 6-2 before scoring five runs in the sixth inning to take the lead.

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