University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Countdown: 23 Days
January 21, 2015 | Baseball
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Baseball Time in Tennessee is just 23 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.
Twenty three Vols have graced the No. 23 on Rocky Top, with freshman pitcher Zach Warren set to be the 24th on Feb. 13. Today, we take a look back at former right-handed pitcher and Brentwood native Wyatt Allen, who lettered at UT from 1999-2001.
Looking Back...#23 WYATT ALLEN
1999-2001 | RHP | 6-4 | 200 lbs. | Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)
Coming to Knoxville from the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, former right-handed pitcher Wyatt Allen was a letterwinner at UT from 1999-2001 and helped lead the Volunteers to the 2001 College World Series.
Allen made 19 appearances as a freshman, compiling a 1-2 record and 38 strikeouts over the 43.2 innings pitched - the fifth-most on staff. As a sophomore in 2000, Allen made seven starts and went 4-3 on the year with a 4.19 ERA. He logged the third-most innings on staff with 53.2 and averaged 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, while holding opponents to a .233 batting average.
Allen had a big impact on the Vols' run to the 2001 College World Series. The junior posted a team-best 10-3 record with two complete games and and impressive 110 strikeouts over a team-high 104.1 innings. His 110 sit-downs led the Southeastern Conference in 2001 and is a mark that currently ranks just outside the top 10 in the single-season records. He picked up the last win of the 2001 season for the Vols, pitching eight strong innings in a 10-2 win over USC in the College World Series. He held the Trojans to just six hits and two runs, while striking out five and walking just one.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round (39th overall) of the 2001 MLB Amateur Draft, Allen finished his UT career ranked 10th all-time in strikeouts with 203. He was also named the team's Mike Smithson Most Valuable Pitcher in 2001.
Allen played six seasons of minor league ball from the Single-A to Triple-A for the White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates' organizations. He won 19 games, had an ERA of 4.33 and struck out 319 in 443 innings pitched.
THROWBACK NOTES ON ALLEN
- Attended Brentwood Academy where he posted a 8-2 record with a 2.13 ERA for the Class 2A State Champions
- Also hit .413 for the Eagles
- Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school in the 32nd Round
Looking Ahead...#23 Zach Warren
2015 Debut | LHP | 6-5 | 195 lbs. | L/L | Vineland, N.J.
Freshman lefthander Zach Warren comes to Knoxville from St. Augustine Prep in Vineland, N.J., where he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round of the June 2014 Draft following his senior season. He went 2-2 in 39.0 innings for the Hermits in 2014, collecting a 2.69 ERA. He was also named a 2014 Northeast - All Region First Team pitcher by Perfect Game.
NOTES FROM HIS BIO
- Full name is Zachary William Warren
- Models himself after Major League lefty Cole Hamels
- Majoring in Kinesiology
