University of Tennessee Athletics

VOLS IN THE PROS UPDATE: October 4
October 04, 2018 | Baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The regular season has come to an end and postseason baseball has begun.
Yan Gomes is the lone VFL whose team made the MLB playoffs this season as his Cleveland Indians get set to open postseason play Friday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. at Houston in the ALDS.
Check out how other Major League Vols seasons wrapped up last week. Â
MAJOR LEAGUES
Â
Zack Godley – SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Season: 15-11, 4.74 ERA, 33 G, 32 GS, 178.1 IP, 177 H, 103 R, 94 ER, 83 BB, 185 K
Â
Godley finished his season on a high note, earning his 15th victory of the year in a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Sept. 29. The South Carolina native allowed three runs and struck out five in six innings of work for the Diamondbacks. Godley set a number of career bests this season with 15 wins, 178.1 innings pitched and 185 strikeouts.
Â
Yan Gomes – C, Cleveland Indians
Season: 112 G, 52 R, 107 H, 26 2B, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 23 BB, .449 SLG, .313 OBP, .266 AVG
Â
Gomes saw action in just two games last week after sustaining a cut on his right hand. The veteran catcher is expected to play in Cleveland's postseason opener on Friday against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. In his final game of the regular season, the Brazilian went 1-for-2 with a single. Gomes had a strong finish to the regular season with a slash line of .328/.361/.603 as well as four homers and seven RBI over his last 15 games.
Â
Drew Steckenrider – P, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins: 4-4, 3.90 ERA, 71 G, 5 SV, 64.2 IP, 55 H, 29 R, 28 ER, 32 BB, 74 K
Â
In his final appearance of the season. Steckenrider tossed a scoreless inning of relief in a 1-0 loss to the New York Mets on Sept. 29. The Atlanta native did not allow a run in seven of his final eight appearances of the year and set career bests with four wins, five saves, 64.2 innings pitched, 74 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP.
Christin Stewart – OF, Detroit Tigers
GCL Tigers East: 2 G, 1 R, 1 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .800 SLG, .333 OBP, .200 AVG
GCL Tigers West: 1 G, 1 R, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1.000 SLG, .250 OBP, .250 AVG
Toledo Mud Hens: 122 G, 69 R, 117 H, 21 2B, 3 3B, 23 HR, 77 RBI, 69 BB, .480 SLG, .364 OBP, .264 AVG
Detroit Tigers: 17 G, 7 R, 16 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 10 BB, .417 SLG, .375 OBP, .267 AVG
Â
Stewart played in just one game last week but finished the year with a bang. The Atlanta native set a new career high with three hits and also drove in his 10th run since being called up to the big leagues in early September. Across all leagues this season, Stewart hit 27 home runs and had 90 RBI.
Â
MINOR LEAGUES
Â
Julio Borbon – OF, Sultanes de Monterrey (AAA – Mexican League)
Somersat Patriots (Atlantic League): 56 G, 39 R, 69 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 20 BB, 19 SB, .301 AVG
Sultanes de Monterrey: 42 G, 32 R, 49 H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 21 BB, 14 SB, .399 SLG, .386 OBP, .301 AVG
Â
Borbon finished his season with the Somerset Patriots hitting .301 with 33 RBIS and 39 runs scored through 56 games. Borbon finished the regular season with Sultanes de Monterrey batting .301 with 20 RBI and 14 stolen bases. They will begin their playoff run this week. Â Â
Â
Andy Cox – P, Dayton Dragons (A – Cincinnati Reds)
Billings Mustangs: 0-1, 1.35 ERA, 6 G, 0 SV, 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K
Dayton Dragons: 1-2, 7.43 ERA, 13 G, 1 SV, 13.1 IP, 16 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 6 BB, 12 K
Â
Cox picked up his first save of the season on Sept. 1. The lefty tossed 0.1 shutout innings against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Cox's season came to an end in Dayton's season finale as the Dragons fell to Bowling Green 4-0 on Sept. 3. He finished the year with 20 strikeouts, one save, a 1-3 record and a 5.40 ERA through 20.0 innings of work with two teams.
Andrew Lee – P, Hagerstown Suns (A – Washington Nationals)
Season: 4-5, 4.28 ERA, 20 G, 10 GS, 67.1 IP, 39 H, 38 R, 32 ER, 57 BB, 86 K
Â
Despite registering six strikeouts and giving up just two runs (one earned) in six innings of work, Lee was charged with his fifth loss of the season as the Suns came up short against Lexington, falling 5-1 on Aug. 30. The Morristown, Tenn., native finished the season with a 4-5 record and a 4.28 ERA to go along with 86 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched.
Â
Will Maddox – 2B, Erie SeaWolves (AA – Detroit Tigers)
Season: 102 G, 5 R, 119 H, 17 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 41 RBI, 24 BB, 7 SB, .398 SLG, .342 OBP, .300 AVG
Â
Maddox finished the season with three straight two-hit performances against Akron from Sept. 1-3. The Georgia native finished the season with a .300 batting average, which ranked sixth in the Eastern League.
Â
Jeff Moberg – 2B, Asheville Tourists (A – Colorado Rockies)
Albuquerque Isotopes: 4 G, 0 R, 1 H, 2 RBI, 0 BB, .125 SLG, .125 OBP, .125 AVG
Grand Junction Rockies: 7 G, 3 R, 6 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .304 SLG, .292 OBP, .261 AVG
Asheville Tourists: 23 G, 13 R, 16 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, .410 SLG, .239 OBP, .205 AVG
Â
Moberg had RBI doubles in two of his final four games of the season on Sept. 1 and Sept. 3 against the Rome Braves. The second baseman finished his 2018 campaign with two homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Â
Khayyan Norfork – 2B, Harrisburg Senators (AA – Washington Nationals)
Season: 42 G, 15 R, 15 H, 1 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB, 11 BB, .260 SLG, .257 OBP, .156 AVG
Â
Norfork finished the season on the disabled list for the Senators after hitting three homers and driving in 17 runs over 42 games played.
Matt Ramsey – P, Fresno Grizzlies (AAA – Houston)
GCL Astros: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Fresno Grizzlies: 2-2, 2.30 ERA, 33 G, 4 SV, 47.0 IP, 37 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 16 BB, 54 K
Â
Ramsey gave up a hit and a run in his final appearance of the season as the Fresno Grizzlies were eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs by the Memphis Redbirds on Sept. 15.
Â
Jordan Rodgers – 3B, Florida Fire Frogs (A-Advanced – Atlanta Braves)
Season: 84 G, 27 R, 64 H, 15 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, .329 SLG, .268 OBP, .219 AVG
Â
Rodgers blasted a two-run homer in his final game of the season on Sept. 2 as the Fire Frogs defeated the Charlotte Stone Crabs, 5-2.
Â
Benito Santiago – C, Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie – St. Louis Cardinals)
Season: 20 G, 7 R, 12 H, 3 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB, .364 SLG, .239 OBP, .182 AVG
Â
Santiago went 1-for-3 and scored a run in his final game of the season for the Johnson City Cardinals on August 25.
Â
Nick Senzel – 2B, Louisville Bats (AAA – Cincinnati Reds)
Season: 44 G, 23 R, 53 H, 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 19 BB, 8 SB, .509 SLG, .378 OBP, .310 AVG
Â
Senzel suffered a season-ending injury vs. Norfolk on June 22. The second baseman missed most of May due to vertigo, but hit .400 with seven runs scored, three home runs and 10 RBI in his last 10 games before the injury. Over 19 games in June, Senzel appeared at the hot corner five times with the rest of his appearances coming at second base. He ended the season with a .310, average, .509 slugging percentage and 53 hits through 44 games.
Â
A.J. Simcox – 2B, Lakeland Flying Tigers (A-Advanced – Detroit Tigers)
Erie SeaWolves: 51 G, 22 R, 34 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 12 BB, 3 SB, .289 SLG, .261 OBP, .205 AVG
Lakeland Flying Tigers: 39 G, 17 R, 32 H, 1 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 15 BB, 3 SB, .346 SLG, .305 OBP, .235 AVG
Â
Simcox's recorded hits in back-to-back games on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. He also drove in a run in each of his final two games of the season for Lakeland.
Â
Zach Warren – P, Lakewood BlueClaws (A – Philadelphia Phillies)
Season: 3-2, 1.91 ERA, 39 G, 15 SV, 56.2 IP, 33 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 28 BB, 100 K
Â
Warren closed the door for his second save of the postseason on Sept. 10 to give the BlueClaws a 1-0 series lead over Lexington. However, the Legends went on to win the next three games to win the South Atlantic League Championship and eliminate Lakewood from the playoffs. Warren allowed only two earned runs over his final 23 appearances of the season. The southpaw had 63 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 28.1 innings pitched during that span and finished the regular season with 15 saves, good for second in the South Atlantic League.
Â
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee Baseball, visit UTSports.com/Baseball and follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.
Â
Yan Gomes is the lone VFL whose team made the MLB playoffs this season as his Cleveland Indians get set to open postseason play Friday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. at Houston in the ALDS.
Check out how other Major League Vols seasons wrapped up last week. Â
MAJOR LEAGUES
Â
Zack Godley – SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Season: 15-11, 4.74 ERA, 33 G, 32 GS, 178.1 IP, 177 H, 103 R, 94 ER, 83 BB, 185 K
Â
Godley finished his season on a high note, earning his 15th victory of the year in a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Sept. 29. The South Carolina native allowed three runs and struck out five in six innings of work for the Diamondbacks. Godley set a number of career bests this season with 15 wins, 178.1 innings pitched and 185 strikeouts.
Â
Yan Gomes – C, Cleveland Indians
Season: 112 G, 52 R, 107 H, 26 2B, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 23 BB, .449 SLG, .313 OBP, .266 AVG
Â
Gomes saw action in just two games last week after sustaining a cut on his right hand. The veteran catcher is expected to play in Cleveland's postseason opener on Friday against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. In his final game of the regular season, the Brazilian went 1-for-2 with a single. Gomes had a strong finish to the regular season with a slash line of .328/.361/.603 as well as four homers and seven RBI over his last 15 games.
Â
Drew Steckenrider – P, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins: 4-4, 3.90 ERA, 71 G, 5 SV, 64.2 IP, 55 H, 29 R, 28 ER, 32 BB, 74 K
Â
In his final appearance of the season. Steckenrider tossed a scoreless inning of relief in a 1-0 loss to the New York Mets on Sept. 29. The Atlanta native did not allow a run in seven of his final eight appearances of the year and set career bests with four wins, five saves, 64.2 innings pitched, 74 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP.
Christin Stewart – OF, Detroit Tigers
GCL Tigers East: 2 G, 1 R, 1 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .800 SLG, .333 OBP, .200 AVG
GCL Tigers West: 1 G, 1 R, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1.000 SLG, .250 OBP, .250 AVG
Toledo Mud Hens: 122 G, 69 R, 117 H, 21 2B, 3 3B, 23 HR, 77 RBI, 69 BB, .480 SLG, .364 OBP, .264 AVG
Detroit Tigers: 17 G, 7 R, 16 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 10 BB, .417 SLG, .375 OBP, .267 AVG
Â
Stewart played in just one game last week but finished the year with a bang. The Atlanta native set a new career high with three hits and also drove in his 10th run since being called up to the big leagues in early September. Across all leagues this season, Stewart hit 27 home runs and had 90 RBI.
Â
MINOR LEAGUES
Â
Julio Borbon – OF, Sultanes de Monterrey (AAA – Mexican League)
Somersat Patriots (Atlantic League): 56 G, 39 R, 69 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 20 BB, 19 SB, .301 AVG
Sultanes de Monterrey: 42 G, 32 R, 49 H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 21 BB, 14 SB, .399 SLG, .386 OBP, .301 AVG
Â
Borbon finished his season with the Somerset Patriots hitting .301 with 33 RBIS and 39 runs scored through 56 games. Borbon finished the regular season with Sultanes de Monterrey batting .301 with 20 RBI and 14 stolen bases. They will begin their playoff run this week. Â Â
Â
Andy Cox – P, Dayton Dragons (A – Cincinnati Reds)
Billings Mustangs: 0-1, 1.35 ERA, 6 G, 0 SV, 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K
Dayton Dragons: 1-2, 7.43 ERA, 13 G, 1 SV, 13.1 IP, 16 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 6 BB, 12 K
Â
Cox picked up his first save of the season on Sept. 1. The lefty tossed 0.1 shutout innings against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Cox's season came to an end in Dayton's season finale as the Dragons fell to Bowling Green 4-0 on Sept. 3. He finished the year with 20 strikeouts, one save, a 1-3 record and a 5.40 ERA through 20.0 innings of work with two teams.
Andrew Lee – P, Hagerstown Suns (A – Washington Nationals)
Season: 4-5, 4.28 ERA, 20 G, 10 GS, 67.1 IP, 39 H, 38 R, 32 ER, 57 BB, 86 K
Â
Despite registering six strikeouts and giving up just two runs (one earned) in six innings of work, Lee was charged with his fifth loss of the season as the Suns came up short against Lexington, falling 5-1 on Aug. 30. The Morristown, Tenn., native finished the season with a 4-5 record and a 4.28 ERA to go along with 86 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched.
Â
Will Maddox – 2B, Erie SeaWolves (AA – Detroit Tigers)
Season: 102 G, 5 R, 119 H, 17 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 41 RBI, 24 BB, 7 SB, .398 SLG, .342 OBP, .300 AVG
Â
Maddox finished the season with three straight two-hit performances against Akron from Sept. 1-3. The Georgia native finished the season with a .300 batting average, which ranked sixth in the Eastern League.
Â
Jeff Moberg – 2B, Asheville Tourists (A – Colorado Rockies)
Albuquerque Isotopes: 4 G, 0 R, 1 H, 2 RBI, 0 BB, .125 SLG, .125 OBP, .125 AVG
Grand Junction Rockies: 7 G, 3 R, 6 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .304 SLG, .292 OBP, .261 AVG
Asheville Tourists: 23 G, 13 R, 16 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, .410 SLG, .239 OBP, .205 AVG
Â
Moberg had RBI doubles in two of his final four games of the season on Sept. 1 and Sept. 3 against the Rome Braves. The second baseman finished his 2018 campaign with two homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Â
Khayyan Norfork – 2B, Harrisburg Senators (AA – Washington Nationals)
Season: 42 G, 15 R, 15 H, 1 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB, 11 BB, .260 SLG, .257 OBP, .156 AVG
Â
Norfork finished the season on the disabled list for the Senators after hitting three homers and driving in 17 runs over 42 games played.
Matt Ramsey – P, Fresno Grizzlies (AAA – Houston)
GCL Astros: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Fresno Grizzlies: 2-2, 2.30 ERA, 33 G, 4 SV, 47.0 IP, 37 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 16 BB, 54 K
Â
Ramsey gave up a hit and a run in his final appearance of the season as the Fresno Grizzlies were eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs by the Memphis Redbirds on Sept. 15.
Â
Jordan Rodgers – 3B, Florida Fire Frogs (A-Advanced – Atlanta Braves)
Season: 84 G, 27 R, 64 H, 15 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, .329 SLG, .268 OBP, .219 AVG
Â
Rodgers blasted a two-run homer in his final game of the season on Sept. 2 as the Fire Frogs defeated the Charlotte Stone Crabs, 5-2.
Â
Benito Santiago – C, Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie – St. Louis Cardinals)
Season: 20 G, 7 R, 12 H, 3 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB, .364 SLG, .239 OBP, .182 AVG
Â
Santiago went 1-for-3 and scored a run in his final game of the season for the Johnson City Cardinals on August 25.
Â
Nick Senzel – 2B, Louisville Bats (AAA – Cincinnati Reds)
Season: 44 G, 23 R, 53 H, 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 19 BB, 8 SB, .509 SLG, .378 OBP, .310 AVG
Â
Senzel suffered a season-ending injury vs. Norfolk on June 22. The second baseman missed most of May due to vertigo, but hit .400 with seven runs scored, three home runs and 10 RBI in his last 10 games before the injury. Over 19 games in June, Senzel appeared at the hot corner five times with the rest of his appearances coming at second base. He ended the season with a .310, average, .509 slugging percentage and 53 hits through 44 games.
Â
A.J. Simcox – 2B, Lakeland Flying Tigers (A-Advanced – Detroit Tigers)
Erie SeaWolves: 51 G, 22 R, 34 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 12 BB, 3 SB, .289 SLG, .261 OBP, .205 AVG
Lakeland Flying Tigers: 39 G, 17 R, 32 H, 1 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 15 BB, 3 SB, .346 SLG, .305 OBP, .235 AVG
Â
Simcox's recorded hits in back-to-back games on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. He also drove in a run in each of his final two games of the season for Lakeland.
Â
Zach Warren – P, Lakewood BlueClaws (A – Philadelphia Phillies)
Season: 3-2, 1.91 ERA, 39 G, 15 SV, 56.2 IP, 33 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 28 BB, 100 K
Â
Warren closed the door for his second save of the postseason on Sept. 10 to give the BlueClaws a 1-0 series lead over Lexington. However, the Legends went on to win the next three games to win the South Atlantic League Championship and eliminate Lakewood from the playoffs. Warren allowed only two earned runs over his final 23 appearances of the season. The southpaw had 63 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 28.1 innings pitched during that span and finished the regular season with 15 saves, good for second in the South Atlantic League.
Â
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee Baseball, visit UTSports.com/Baseball and follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.
Â
Players Mentioned
BSB | Josh Elander Introductory Press Conference (10.27.25)
Monday, October 27
BSB | Tennessee Super Regional Postgame Presser at Arkansas (6.8.25)
Sunday, June 08
BSB | Tennessee Super Regional Postgame Presser at Arkansas (6.7.25)
Saturday, June 07
BSB | Tennessee Official Super Regional Preview Press Conference (6.6.25)
Friday, June 06












