Tennessee has put the final touches on its 2023 roster over the last couple of weeks following the MLB Draft.
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’ pitching staff.
Here’s a look at who is moving on, who is expected back and the newcomers to Frank Anderson’s pitching staff in 2023.
Notable Departures
Tennessee will have quite a bit of production to replace from last season’s pitching staff.
Due to various injuries, the Vols essentially had four starters throughout last season in Blade Tidwell, Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam. They’re set to return three of the four, as Tidwell is the only starter who has moved on from the program.
Tidwell was selected by the New York Mets with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round. He was the first UT pitcher selected despite missing the first half of the 2022 season due to shoulder tightness and soreness. In 13 appearances (nine starts), Tidwell went 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 39.0 innings.
Anderson will have more production to replace in the bullpen.
Hard-throwing right-hander Ben Joyce was selected in the third round by the Los Angles Angels and signed after a breakout season. He finished with a 2.23 ERA and 53 strikeouts to 14 walks in 32.1 innings of work while holding opposing hitters to a .157 batting average.
Lefty reliever Will Mabrey also enjoyed a breakout season and was selected in the sixth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, while right-hander Mark McLaughlin was selected by the Chicago White Sox a round later, respectively. Each signed with their organization.
Most notably, trusted left-hander Redmond Walsh has run out of eligibility and departs tied with Todd Helton for most saves in program history (23). Walsh compiled 153.2 innings of work throughout his career. He departs with a 12-5 record and 1.93 ERA.
Projected Starting Rotation
Tennessee will enter 2023 with the best starting rotation in the country despite losing Tidwell.
Dollander, who will likely be UT’s Friday night starter, is projected as a top five pick in next year’s MLB Draft after winning SEC Pitcher of the Year in his first season on Rocky Top. After transferring from Georgia Southern, the All-American went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 14 starts, compiling 108 strikeouts to 13 walks.
Burns also shined in his debut season with the Vols. The right-hander went 8-2 with a 2.91 ERA to be named the National Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball. Burns helped form a dominant one-two freshmen punch with 103 strikeouts to 25 walks.
The other half of the duo — Beam — was named SEC Freshman of the Year after going 8-1 in 15 starts with a 2.72 ERA. Opponents hit just .186 off of Beam.
The Bullpen
It seemed as if Tennessee’s bullpen was going to be a big question mark with the anticipated departures of Joyce, Mabrey, McLaughlin and Walsh.
But Tony Vitello and his staff went to work and sured up the bullpen to where now it looks to be a strength for next year’s team, rather than a source of uncertainty.
The Vols have a trio of key arms returning, yet it’s been the decisions of three arms to continue playing baseball that has strengthened the bullpen.
First, it was Zach Joyce, the twin brother of Ben Joyce. Zach signed up to play for the Vols with Ben back in 2020 out of nearby Walters State, but elected to step away from the game following Tommy John surgery.
After watching his brother pitch this past season, Joyce made the decision to return to the mound and will debut for the Vols in 2023. Multiple sources within the program have indicated that Joyce has looked great this summer as he’s gotten back to pitching. He should be a key piece to Tennessee’s pitching staff.
So should Charlotte transfer Andrew Lindsey. The right-hander did not play last season due to personal reasons, but he also got the itch to pitch again and elected to transfer to play for the Vols. Lindsey is having a strong summer and should be a factor next season.
The most important decision was Camden Sewell’s, who elected to take advantage of his last year of eligibility and hold off on moving to the next chapter of his life. Sewell will be one of UT’s top arms as he serves as a Swiss Army knife that can start games, get out of a jam, throw multiple innings or close games.
In addition to Sewell, the returning pitchers that will help shape the bullpen are lefties Kirby Connell, Wyatt Evans, and Zander Sechrist, as well as former Missouri transfer Seth Halvorsen who missed last year after fracturing his pitching arm right before the season.
Halvorsen has as much natural arm talent as anyone on Tennessee’s roster and was primed for a breakout season before his injury. If he can stay healthy, he’ll not only be one of Tennessee’s best bullpen arms, but one of the best in the SEC.
Connell has the most experience out of the four and as much trust from the coaches as anyone on the roster. The lefty specialist will enter his senior season with 85.2 innings under his belt and a career 2.63 ERA.
Connell’s role as a leader will be even more important than what he provides on the mound, as he looks to help bring Evans and Sechrist along in roles they have not yet filled in their career.
Evans pieced together a 2.25 ERA over 16.0 innings and 19 appearances in his true freshman season last year. He went on to have a really nice summer in the Cape Cod and is primed for a breakout season as a sophomore in 2023.
Sechrist is primed for a step up in role as well. He was excellent as Tennessee’s midweek starter, compiling an ERA of 1.67 and record of 4-0 in 11 starts. The crafty lefty held opponents to a .181 batting average and struck out 46 hitters to seven walks.
RHP Hollis Fanning, LHP Drew Patterson, LHP Jake Fitzgibbons, RHP Andrew Kribbs and LHP Kaleb Meredith also return, though none of the five have yet to carve out a role to this point in their career. Only Fitzgibbons (15.2 innings), Fanning (6.0), and Patterson (4.1) have seen action on the mound.
Pitching Signees
LHP, Jacob Bimbi — JUCO signee from Wabash Valley
RHP, Aaron Combs — JUCO signee from Central Florida
RHP, Bryce Jenkins — JUCO signee from Cleveland State
RHP, Turner Swistak — JUCO signee from Pearl River
RHP, Hunter Sloop, Fr. — Concord, NC
RHP, Dillon Orr, Fr. — Waddell, AZ
RHP, Jerry Garcia, Fr. — Statesville, NC
LHP, Andrew Behnke, Fr. — Old Hickory, TN
LHP, Bradley Gagen, Fr. — Ashburn, VA
RHP, Austin Hunley, Fr. — Mount Juliet, TN
RHP, Bennett Myers, Fr. — Lawrenceburg, KY
RHP, Brady Robertson, Fr. — Humboldt, TN
RHP, AJ Russell, Fr. — Franklin, TN
