2/17/2023 baseball Edit

Tennessee announces transfer Maui Ahuna inactive for No. 2 Vols opener

Tennessee infielder Maui Ahuna scores a run in Tennessee's fall scrimmage against Memphis at The Ballpark in Jackson, Tennessee. (Jackson Sun)

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.

Just hours before Tennessee is set to open its season against Arizona in the MLB Desert Invitational, the program announced that one of its top transfer additions will be inactive.

The news was first reported by Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Junior infielder Maui Ahuna, who transferred to Tennessee from Kansas last June, has been ruled ineligible while awaiting clearance from the NCAA.

Ahuna played shortstop with the Jayhawks and started 53 games during the 2022 season.

He batted .396 with a .470 on-base percentage and hit eight home runs, 16 doubles and 48 RBIs while ending his sophomore campaign with at least one hit in Kansas' last 20 games of the season.

Ahuna earned All-Big 12 first team honors.

"It's been good because I think he likes to be challenged," Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said in the October. "You know what you're getting skill wise, but you don't know what you're getting as far as the makeup of the kid entirely. ...It's encouraging that he likes to be challenged from the coaches and then also I think he wants to lead in his own way, too."

Tennessee plays Arizona at 8 p.m. ET on Friday in the first of three games this weekend. The game will air on the MLB Network and MLB.com.

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