University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Countdown: 20 Days
January 24, 2015 | Baseball
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Baseball Time in Tennessee is just 20 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, just 20 Vols have worn the No. 20, as junior outfielder Christin Stewart returns wearing the jersey again in 2015. Today, we look back at All-American and current member of the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, Kentrail Davis.
THE PAST...#20 Kentrail Davis
2008-09 | OF | 5-9 | 200 lbs. | L/R | Theodore, Ala.
A Theodore, Ala., native, outfielder Kentrail Davis burst onto the scene in Knoxville as a freshman in 2008. Davis earned four separate Freshman All-America honors - a Tennessee first - after leading the Vols in nine offensive categories and claiming the team Triple Crown by pacing the club in batting average (.330), home runs (13) and RBIs (44). He logged four multi-homer games and led the Vols with 21 multi-hit games.
Davis was a second-team All-SEC selection and unanimously named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. He was the only freshman in the country to be named one of 50 semifinalists for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. He was also among the first of 12 players in the nation to accept an invitation to USA Baseball's 2008 National Team Trials. Davis made the squad for the first time after leading the team in nine different offensive categories during the 2008 National Team Trials. The freshman hit .450 with 11 runs, six homers, 19 RBI, a .925 slugging percentage and a .542 on-base percentage with Team USA. Davis was also just Tennessee's second freshman since 1980 to lead the team in batting average.
Davis started 53 games in center field and two as the designated hitter as a sophomore, finishing tied for third on the team with 18 multi-hit games and drove in multiple runs in eight games. He hit .308 in his second season with nine home runs, 30 RBIs and 12 doubles. He was one of just two Vols to start all 55 games. Davis also graced the Interstate 40 billboard during his time and had his own bobblehead.
He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round (39th overall) of the 2009 MLB Draft, becoming UT's 15th First-Round Draft pick. In the years following, Davis worked his way up the ranks in the Brewers' organization, most-recently playing with the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A) in 2013. After playing 108 games with Double-A Huntsville in 2014, Davis was later selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the Rule 5 Draft and joined the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees club, where he is slated to return following Spring Training.
NOTES FROM DAVIS' BIO
- Full name is Kentrail Latron Davis
- Drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 14th Round out of high school
- Was featured in Baseball America as 2007 Louisville Slugger/BCA High School Player of the Year for the state of Alabama
THE PRESENT...#20 Christin Stewart
2013-Present | OF | 6-0 | 205 lbs. | L/R | Lawrenceville, Ga.
During his sophomore campaign on Rocky Top in 2014, Stewart hit .330 with an SEC-leading six triples and 39 RBI. He started each of the Vols' 54 games and became just the 11th player in Tennessee history to win the team "Triple Crown", leading the squad in batting average, home runs (5) and RBI for the first time since Hawn also accomplished the feat in 2009. Stewart additionally led the Vols in runs scored (45), total hits (72), doubles (19) and slugging percentage (.541). Following the season, Stewart took home All-SEC accolades from the Conference, the first Tennessee player to do so since 2009.
Stewart was later selected to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. As the 20th Tennessee representative to be a part of Team USA, Stewart led the Collegiate National Team in multiple offensive categories, including batting (.383), hits (31) and doubles (12). His 16 RBI ranked second-best on the team, while he earned "Best Hitter" merits during the team's gold medal performance at Haarlem-Honkbal Week in the Netherlands.
Entering his junior season in 2015, Stewart owns a .322 career average as a Volunteer, with 27 doubles, eight homers and 66 RBI as well as a .380 mark with runners in scoring position. His 74 career extra-base hits are currently tied for 10th-most all-time in Tennessee history.
NOTES FROM HIS BIO
- Full name is Christin Gaylin Harris Stewart
- Majoring in kinesiology
- Graduated from Providence Christian Academy
- Launched 69 home runs during his prep career, tying current MLB player Micah Owings for the Georgia state career record and finishing just shy of the national record of 75.
