The 2022 MLB Draft has come and gone.

With the draft in the rearview mirror, Tennessee’s roster for next season is all but set. At Volquest, we’re looking ahead to what each position group will likely look like by the time next spring rolls around. We continue with the Vols’ infield.

Here’s a look at who is moving on, who is expected back and the newcomers to an infield that will look brand-new in 2023.

Catcher may not be the sexiest position, but it sure is the most important one on the diamond, and Tennessee finds itself for a second straight offseason having to replace its starting catcher.

Evan Russell transitioned to catcher admirably last season, but is now off to professional baseball after signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

In anticipation of losing Russell, the Vols added Austin Peay transfer catcher Jack Alexander shortly after the season. Alexander surprised the Vols, however, and elected to sign an undrafted free agent deal with the Kansas City Royals.

Unless Tennessee makes a late addition via the transfer portal, soon-to-be redshirt-sophomores Jared Dickey, Charlie Taylor and Ryan Miller are the candidates to be the starting catcher next spring.

Dickey burst on to the scene last year, hitting .380 over the course of his first 40 collegiate baseball games. With Russell behind the plate, Dickey played in left field and also served as the designated hitter while battling injury throughout the season. The Mount Juliet, Tennessee signed with the Vols as a catcher though, and is spending this offseason working at the position full-time.

His biggest competition is Taylor, who served as Tennessee’s backup catcher last year. Taylor struggled with the bat, tallying just two hits in 36 at-bats over 22 games, but more than looked the part defensively.

Miller has yet to play in a game for the Vols. The two-sport standout at Dublin Jerome High School in Dublin, Ohio skipped his senior season and enrolled early at Tennessee in the spring of 2021. He was ranked the No. 215 overall prospect and No. 4 player in Ohio by Prep Baseball Report.

The newcomer at catcher this offseason is Payton Ebbing of Cincinnati Country Day in Loveland, Ohio. Ebbing is considered the No. 14 overall player and the top catcher in the state of Ohio.

Not only will Tennessee have a new catcher behind the dish, the middle of the infield will look completely different as second baseman Jorel Ortega and shortstop Cortland Lawson were each drafted in this year’s draft.

Ortega was selected in the sixth round by the Minnesota Twins following a breakout season for the Vols. After playing sparingly his first two seasons on campus, Ortega set career-highs in every statistical category and finished second on the team with 76 hits, 20 doubles and 158 total bases. He also was tied for third on the team with 18 home runs and 61 RBIs while slashing .323/.398/.672.

Lawson also enjoyed a breakout season and was drafted in the 14th round by the Washington Nationals as a result. The Vols’ shortstop scored 42 runs, homered 12 times and tallied 45 RBIs in 65 games. He led the team with 148 assists and had 60 putouts.

Kansas transfer shortstop Maui Ahuna will replace Lawson at shortstop and may prove to be the best player on the entire team. Ahuna earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as he hit .396 at the plate to go along with eight home runs and 48 RBIs. He hit 16 doubles and four triples.

Rising-sophomore Christian Moore seems to be in line to replace Ortega at second. Moore had a terrific freshman season at the plate, hitting .305 over 51 games and 29 starts. The Brooklyn native added 10 home runs and 36 RBIs, but will have to prove himself defensively in order to lock down his spot.

Logan Steenstra will be nipping at the heels of Moore, and could also play shortstop or first base if needed. The rising-senior is a career .293 hitter in 63 games, but has been buried on the talent-rich depth chart of the Vols.

Austin Jaslove is the other returning middle infielder for the Vols. The Knoxville native was ranked as the No. 43 overall prospect and No. 9 shortstop in Tennessee by Perfect Game coming out of high school, but redshirted in 2021 and didn’t receive any playing time this past season.

North Huntington, Pennsylvania infielder Jacob Kendro is the lone high school signee up the middle in this year’s recruiting class. Kendro is considered the No. 3 shortstop and No. 22 overall player in the state of Pennsylvania.

Trey Lipscomb is off to professional baseball after manning the hot corner for the Vols in 2022. The Nationals drafted Lipscomb with the 84th overall pick in the 3rd round and now the Vols are charged with replacing Lipscomb’s 22 home runs and 84 RBIs.

In order to do so, Tennessee went out and picked up a commitment from Alabama third baseball Zane Denton in the transfer portal. Denton was Alabama's everyday third baseman this past season, starting all 58 games. He hit .263 and led the Tide in home runs (13), RBIs (48) and total bases (112), while ranking third in doubles (12) and slugging percentage (.483).

It was his second full season as Alabama's starting third baseman. Denton played the hot corner for the Tide in 2021, starting 53 games at third and five at first as he earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors.

As a sophomore that season, Denton led Alabama with a .308 batting average to go along with 10 doubles and 10 home runs. Denton drew a team-high 35 walks while also leading the Tide in on-base percentage (.405). He ranked second on the team in hits and runs scored (40), and also tied for second in RBIs (40).

Denton attended Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the state of Tennessee and considered the No. 10 third baseman nationally in the 2019 recruiting class by Perfect Game.

Tennessee does return former top junior college signee Logan Chambers. The Arkansas native played in 18 games last season, tallying five hits in 26 at-bats as he served as Lipscomb’s backup. Chambers could also play left field, second base or first base.

Although year one on Rocky Top didn't go according to plan for Chambers, Tennessee's coaching staff is still extremely high on his talent and what he could possibly provide next season.

The Vols will add 6-foot, 210-pound Tanner Zellem to the mix as well. The Fleming Island, Florida native is considered the sixth-best third baseman in the state of Florida by Perfect Game.

It’s Blake Burke’s turn at first base with Luc Lipcius running out of eligibility. While Lipcius departs with the program’s home run record, Burke is already threatening to surpass Lipcius.

Burke tied the program’s freshman home run record last season with 14 homers in 95 at-bats. He hit .326 over 45 games and 22 starts, mostly as the designated hitter. He’ll now receive far more plate appearances moving forward as he takes over for Lipcius as the full-time first baseman.

Redshirt-freshman Kavares Tears could be the backup first baseman, although the Tennessee native also can play right field. Tears redshirted last season, his first on campus, but consistently displayed as much power as anybody on the roster during batting practice.

On Deck: Looking ahead to Tennessee’s 2023 outfield