University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Countdown: 27 Days
January 17, 2015 | Baseball
2015 Schedule
Baseball Time in Tennessee is just 27 days away!
Throughout January and February, UTSports.com will count down the days leading up to the start of the Vols' 2015 campaign (Feb. 13) with a look back at the many players who donned each jersey No. 30 through No. 1.
After opening last season at home, the Vols will travel to Miami, Fla., this year to face Florida International for a three-game series (Feb. 13-15). The team will return home to take on Tennessee Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 18 and Rutgers for four games (Feb. 20-22) during Tennessee's home opener weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, including a doubleheader against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Orange & White will later host long-time SEC foe Georgia (March 20-22) for the program's first home conference opponent series in March. Additionally, Missouri (April 9-11), South Carolina (April 24-26), Texas A&M (May 1-3) and Mississippi State (May 15-17) will make trips to Rocky Top this year.
On the season, the Volunteers, led by Head Coach Dave Serrano and his staff, are scheduled to play 27 of their 55 regular season games against nine 2014 NCAA postseason participants, including College World Series squads Vanderbilt, UC Irvine and Ole Miss.
In total, 27 Vols will now have worn No. 27 with the inclusion of junior college transfer Steven Kane this year. Joining Kane is a current big name Major Leaguer in Chase Headley. The newly re-signed New York Yankees third basemen Headley wore the Orange and White No. 27 from 2004-05, helping the Vols to the College World Series in his final season at Rocky Top.
Looking Back...#27 Chase Headley
2004-05 | 3B | S/R | 6-2 | 200 lbs. | Fountain, Colo.
After excelling on the diamond at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., during his freshman year in 2003, Chase Headley transferred to Tennessee and played two seasons for the Volunteers. A native of Colorado, Headley started all 54 games at third base for Pacific, batting .330 (including a 16-game hit streak) with three home runs, 26 RBI and a slugging percentage of .464.
In his first season at Tennessee in 2004, Headley started at five different positions and finished the season with a .295 average, two homers and 23 RBI. The Vols got off to their best start in program history in 2004, starting the campaign 29-5. The squad cooled down the stretch before being eliminated by UNC Wilmington in the NCAA Regionals. That summer, Headley played in the distinguished Cape Cod League for the Cotuit Kettleers and was named Team MVP after hitting .242 with three doubles, three homers and 17 RBI in just 36 games.
The 2005 season in Knoxville was a special one, not only for the Vols, but for Headley as well. The junior finally settled in at third base and with the help of fellow future big-leaguers Julio Borbon, J.P. Arencibia and Luke Hochevar, Headley took the Vols back to the College World Series for the first time since 2001.
Statistically, Headley led the Southeastern Conference in batting average with a .387 clip. He also led the league in runs scored (82) and on-base percentage (.530). He was named a third team ABCA, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball All-American and earned first team ABCA All-Sout Region and All-SEC honors. Headley's name is all over the 2005 single-season record books, setting the walks record with 63 free passes that season. He's also second in on-base percentage (.530), third in runs scored (82), fifth in extra-base hits (41), total bases (164) and games played (67).
Headley also excelled in the classroom. He was named a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American and All-District IV in 2005.
After two seasons with the Vols, Headley was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2005 MLB draft and played in their system until 2014. He made his MLB debut on June 15, 2007. In 2012, Headley led the National League in RBI and won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards with the Padres. He finished fifth in the NL MVP race. In 2014, the longtime Padre was traded to the New York Yankees and made an immediate impact, knocking a walkoff single in his first-ever appearance in the Bronx. This offseason, Headley signed a four-year deal with the Yankees, securing his spot as the club's primary third baseman through 2018.
He last returned to Rocky Top in 2010 as a guest speaker at the team's Leadoff Banquet and again after his stellar 2012 season. Headley was named a member of Tennessee's All-Century Team in 2009.
THROWBACK NOTES FROM HIS BIO
- Full name is Chase Jordan Headley
- While off the field, he enjoys skiing, hunting and fishing
- Graduated Valedictorian from Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Fountain, Colo.
Looking Ahead...#28 Steven Kane
2015 Debut | RHP | 6-4 | R/R | Peoria, Ariz.
One of the newest members of the Vols' pitching staff, Steven Kane becomes the 27th player to don the No. 27 jersey for Tennessee in 2015. Prior to his arrival on Rocky Top, Kane spent two seasons at Cypress College (Cypress, Calif.), where he guided the Chargers to their fifth state title and posted a school record 13 wins in 2013. That season, he posted an even 2.00 ERA en route to earned California Pitcher of the Year honors.
A product of Sunrise Mountain High School in Arizona, Kane has also been drafted twice by Major League teams: in the 28th round by the Cleveland Indians in 2013 and the 34th round by the Chicago Cubs in 2014.
NOTES FROM HIS BIO
- Posted a combined record of 23-6 in high school, including a 10-1 senior season where he struck out 65 and finished with a 2.00 ERA.
- He also played two seasons (2010-11) of basketball for the Sunrise Mountain High School Mustangs.
