On a cold, wet day in Knoxville, Tennessee, a couple of Tennessee freshmen provided a warm presence with their performance in an 18-1 home victory over the Hofstra Pride on Saturday. According to Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello, it should come as no surprise that not only three freshmen started, but they also showcased why they will be coveted pieces going forward in the program.
Tennessee freshman Levi Clark showed a patient approach and walked in his first at-bat. Three batters later, Chris Newstrom recorded his first hit with an infield single that loaded the bases. Clark scored later in the bottom of the second inning.
The duo combined to go 5 for 8 on the day and had three RBIs a piece. Newstrom launched a bases-clearing double to right-center field with two outs and two strikes in the third inning to give Tennessee a 6-0 lead.
When asked about their presence at the plate in competitive counts, Vitello said the freshmen should be ready for just about anything based on what they’ve seen from the mound in the preseason from their teammates.
“Well, I think Coach Elander was talking to the hitters, and at the very least our guys can say they’ve seen everything that you can throw at them for the most part.” – Tony Vitello
“And hey, I get it,” Vitello said. “There’s, you know, there’s other first-rounders out there, and I would love to avoid the lefty from Florida State we saw in Omaha. He’s still in college, but everybody’s going to kind of fall into a category of what we have on our staff. I mean, the velocities, or a sharp breaking ball or a big physical presence. We still got a staff. We’re trying to figure out pitching staff wise. But I feel like we put those kids in a bunch of different situations at the plate, and they’ve seen a bunch of good competitions, so nothing should be a huge shock to them on game day.”
Not The Only Freshmen Shining
In the fourth inning, Clark sent a three-run shot into the porches beyond left field, giving the Vols a nine-run cushion. The freshman from Marietta, Georgia later scored via a Jay Abernathy infield single. Abernathy, also a freshman from Georgia (North Cobb High School), is another talented Tennessee freshman that debuted this weekend.
“I mean, every single guy in this roster could be in that starting lineup,” said Clark after his debut. “So you’re competing every day, and every day they’re showing something new. And that’s why this seems special. Anyone that goes in can play.”
Clark, Newstrom and Abernathy are just a few names from a highly-touted 2024 recruiting class. Another freshman from that class, Manny Marin, now has two starts to his name. Marin manned third base in both games. He recorded two hits against the Pride on Friday. The infielder reached base twice, logging a walk and a hit-by-pitch on Saturday. Marin also threw a Hofstra batter out for the first out in the second inning from the deepest part of the left-side dirt.
Newstrom started in left field on Saturday, while Clark was inserted into the starting lineup as a designated hitter. Abernathy has played in both games, but has yet to log a start.
Marin and Newstrom are draft-eligible for the 2026 MLB draft, while Abernathy and Clark will be discussed as targets for the summer of 2027 over the next couple of seasons.
