Examining Tennessee's leaders at the plate in the 2023 regular season
Tennessee had another successful campaign at the plate during the regular season.
The team mashed a large number of home runs while hitting at a high average.
With the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday, let's dive into how each batter fared at the plate statistically over the course of the year.
As a team, Tennessee posted a batting average of .294 in the 2023 regular season.
However, five of the Vols' 10 primary batters managed to finish the year with above a .300 average.
Leading the way was Jared Dickey. The outfielder and catcher hit for .348 over the course of the season. He spent time in the leadoff role early in the campaign before being pushed to the middle of the lineup. In these roles, he was consistently a large threat to reach base through a knock.
Behind him, Maui Ahuna also posted a high mark. After missing the opening games of the season, he slid into the leadoff role where he recorded a .321 average.
The other batters to land over the .300 line were Christian Scott, Christian Moore and Dylan Dreiling. They finished with .310, .305 and .304 averages, respectively.
This efficient hitting spread throughout the lineup helped the team produce runs and spearheaded two-out rallies.
Although hits are crucial, another important aspect of batting is drawing walks and hit-by-pitches.
Leading the way in this category is Moore. Despite having just the fourth-highest batting average, his discipline at the plate led to a .455 on-base percentage. With his slot in the batting order in the middle, this was a good way for the offense to keep innings alive and get runners on base.
Just a small step behind Moore is Scott. Due to a high share of walks, his on-base percentage jumped to .452.
Five other players sit above a .400 percentage, as well. Ahuna, Dreiling, Zane Denton, Dickey and Hunter Ensley are the other contributors. They finished with .442, .440, .420, .417 and .411, respectively.
This ability to put runners on led to a massive amount of runs for the Vols.
While hitting an impressive 114 home runs, Tennessee continually flexed its muscles as power hitters at the plate.
Mashing the most long balls was Griffin Merritt. The transfer took the lead late in the season and never gave it back. He finished with 17 on the year.
In second place, Blake Burke sent 15 balls over the outfield fence. He started strong but slowed down in SEC play. However, he is still always a threat to leave the yard in every at-bat.
Three other players hit the double-digit mark, as well. Moore hit 13 home runs while Denton and Dickey both smacked 12.
This ability to hit home runs continually posed a threat to opposing teams. It made no close advantage safe as one swing could put runs on the board.
At the end of the day, baseball comes down to who scores more runs. Tennessee's offense was able to produce 441 throughout the season with 415 coming on RBI.
Driving the most runs in was Denton. As a batter who sat in the middle of the lineup for the entire season, he has profited on good hitters in front of him. His effective approach at the plate led to 50 RBI.
Behind him, Dickey also drove in a large number of runs. His swing brought in 46 runners.
Three other players pushed across 40 or more runs. Merritt's powerful bat brought in 43 while Burke and Moore both finished with 40.
The Vols' offense was among the best this year. A deep roster of hitters proven by solid statistics is why.
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