Two key pieces of Tennessee's infield received some preseason accolades more than a month from opening day.

Vols' infielder Dean Curley and right-handed pitcher Nate Snead, who both a played a role in Tennessee's College World Series title run last season, were named Preseason Second Team All-America by Perfect Game on Wednesday.

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Curley is coming off of an impressive freshman campaign, where he starred at shortstop and earned Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-America honors. At the plate, Curley hit .285, scored 51 runs and recorded 10 doubles, 12 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Curley landed on the CWS All-Tournament Team after notching four hits, four RBIs and a home run during the Vols' six-game stay.

On the mound, Snead was one of the most reliable bullpen arms. He appeared in 29 games and pitched 75.1 innings, the most among relievers. Snead won 10 games against two losses and had a 3.11 ERA.

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Both Curley and Snead played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team during the offseason.

Tennessee was ranked fifth in Perfect Game's Preseason Top 25 earlier this week and were one of 10 teams from the SEC that were ranked, joining Texas A&M (1), LSU (2), Georgia (4), Texas (7), Florida (11), Arkansas (13), Vanderbilt (15) and Auburn (22).

The Vols will play six of those teams in 2025.

Tennessee will begin the defense of its national title on Feb. 14 with a three-game homestand against Hofstra at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

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