Prospect Review: Tennessee
November 8, 2019
Prospect notes on the Volunteers by Aaron Fitt of D1Baseball during his travels around the country this fall.
TENNESSEE
The Vols return a solid group of veteran leaders and they brought in a strong collection of reinforcements to plug holes and bolster the roster’s depth. Leadership and competitiveness are important, which is why it gives the coaching staff peace of mind to know that they have junior outfielder Evan Russell and sophomore infielder Max Ferguson on his club.
Ferguson saw action at first base as a freshman, hitting .231/.390/.269 in 78 at-bats. He’s a standout athlete whose defense probably helped the Vols win a couple of games at first last year, but he looks likely to move across the diamond to third base as a sophomore. Ferguson’s bat is also developing quickly, and eventually he should grow into some lefthanded power, but for now he looks like more of a doubles hitter with improving feel for the barrel and good speed on the base paths.
Meanwhile, Luc Lipcius, figures to take over the everyday job at first base, where he’s a capable defender. Lipcius hit .347/.459/.694 last year in 49 at-bats, but his season was derailed when he broke his foot and the bone was slow to heal. Now a senior, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Lipcius should bring lefthanded pop and mature at-bats.
Of course, the centerpiece of the offense will be junior left fielder Alerick Soularie, who...