Expectations have never been higher in Tennessee as the Volunteers look to defend their national title for the first time in school history. Despite losing eight players to the MLB draft, the Vols have assembled a roster they believe can get them back to the peaks they reached in Omaha.
The Vols come into the season ranked fourth in D1Baseball’s preseason rankings after a strong offseason where they signed a record-breaking contract extension with head coach Tony Vitello to keep him in Knoxville for the next five years.
Tennessee will depend largely on their returning stars and captains to lead the new additions if they aim to reach the heights they climbed last June. As Vitello describes, returning pitcher Nate Snead is poised to return to his “Swiss army knife” type role. Freshman All-American second-team shortstop Dean Curley will return to the infield as a stable force in the middle of the field.
Perhaps the most important return is Hunter Ensley, who was instrumental in the Vols’ national championship with an acrobatic slide that fans will never forget. Ensley enters the season as the face and vocal leader of this talented 2025 team and has his sights set on the upcoming season.
“Obviously, there are guys on the team this year that were on the team last year, but for us it’s about how close can we get in the quickest amount of time,” Ensley said. “Last year’s not really on our minds. It’s kind of a buzz all around the outside in Knoxville but inhouse, it’s not really a conversation.”
The Vols stayed active in the transfer portal this offseason with multiple big transfers looking to fill positions of need, while also grabbing a top-three recruiting class entering the season.
The bullpen was one of the main areas Vitello looked to improve in the offseason. This started with bringing in Ole Miss transfer Liam Doyle as a reliable starter to pair with their deep group of guys ready to compete. There will be plenty of opportunities for many to earn playing time before SEC play starts on March 14.
Additionally, the Vols filled holes in the infield with another Ole Miss transfer, Andrew Fischer, and Louisville transfer, Gavin Kilen. These two big names will aim to be a stable force in this revamped offense.
This team will look quite different from the nearly unstoppable offensive juggernaut of 2024 due to the loss of stars to the MLB draft, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are any less talented. This group seems to be more balanced in their approach while still retaining a good chunk of that explosiveness we’ve seen in many Vitello teams of the past.
Vitello talked about this new roster and how hungry they are, making it clear that this team doesn’t want to be tied down by the success of the previous year’s team, but write their own story instead.
“I think our guys are ready to move on and kinda use this blank canvas they have to start splashing some paint on,” Vitello said.
Tennessee opens their season at home on Friday in a series against Hofstra at home.
