University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Baseball Countdown: 2 Days
February 11, 2015 | Baseball
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Baseball Time in Tennessee is just two days away!
UTSports.com is counting 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.
Practice has officially begun on Rocky Top. The Diamond Vols are in action throughout the week. All outdoor practices at Lindsey Nelson Stadium are free and open to the public. For more information, visit UTSports.com.
Just 20 Vols have worn the No. 2 for the Orange and White, including true freshman and Virginia native Brett Langhorne in 2015. From 1999-2001, the jersey belonged to none other than Chris Burke. The most recent Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Burke rewrote the Tennessee record books.
THE PAST...#2 Chris Burke
1999-2001 | SS/2B | 5-11 | 185 lbs. | Louisville, Ky. (St. Xavier)
A three-year letter winner for the Big Orange from 1999-2001, Burke was a two-time All-SEC selection and two-time All-American while rewriting both Tennessee's single-season and career record books. He established six season marks and eight career standards and was the first Vol to ever hit for the cycle, doing so against Vanderbilt on May 11, 2001.
In 2001, Burke put together one of the best seasons ever by a UT player, becoming just the third Vol to be named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year as he was bestowed the honor unanimously by the league coaches after hitting .435 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI while leading the Vols to the College World Series.
The consensus All-American garnered first-team honors from Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings. Burke was also a finalist for National Player of the Year honors as well as being named the NCBWA District III Player of the Year and selected for the ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Team.
In leading the Vols to their third trip to Omaha, Burke was named to the all-tournament teams at the College World Series, NCAA Regional and the SEC Tournament. He was the only player in the SEC to hit better than .400 in 2001 and led the conference in eight different categories while ranking in the top 10 in four others.
Burke, who played both shortstop and second base at UT, left Knoxville as the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He played six seasons in the Major Leagues before retiring in 2010. The highlight of his professional career came in the fourth game of the 2005 National League Division Series as he hit a series-winning, walk-off home run in the 18th inning against the Atlanta Braves.
NOTES ON BURKE
- Full name is Christopher Alan Burke
- Born March 11, 1980 in Louisville, Ky.
- Majored in arts & sciences at Tennessee
THE PRESENT...#2 Brett Langhorne
2015 Debut | INF | 6-3 | 195 lbs. | L/R | Mechanicsville, Va. (Lee Davis HS)
Freshman Brett Langhorne comes to Tennessee as a four-year varsity letterman from Lee Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Va. Ranked as the No. 3 shortstop and the No. 12 prospect in the Commonwealth of Virginia, he received Preseason All-American Honorable Mention honors and was All-Conference Honorable Mention following his senior campaign.
Langhorne played travel ball for the Richmond Braves club throughout high school and was selected to participate in the East Coast Pro Showcase and South Atlantic Border Battle in 2013.
NOTES ON LANGHORNE
- Full name is Brett Butler Langhorne
- Born June 14, 1996
- Majoring in supply chain management
- His father, Meade, played professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals organization
