Three Vols Earn All-SEC Preseason Honors, UT Picked to Finish Second in Eastern Division

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In what will be the final year of divisions in the Southeastern Conference for baseball, Tennessee was picked to finish second in the eastern division in the 2024 preseason coaches poll.

The Volunteers also had three players named to the Preseason All-SEC teams in starting pitcher Drew Beam along with infielders Christian Moore and Billy Amick. UT's three selections are the second most in the league behind Florida's five.

The Gators were also the only team to finish ahead of the Big Orange in the eastern division preseason standings, earning 88 points and 11 first-place votes. Tennessee earned 75 points and two first-place votes to win the eastern division, finishing just two points ahead of in-state rival Vanderbilt, who also garnered a first-place vote.

The complete 2024 SEC Preseason Coaches Poll and Preseason All-SEC teams can be found below.

The preseason all-conference recognition was just the latest in a long list of preseason accolades for the Vols' talented trio of Beam, Moore and Amick. Each of them have also been named to multiple preseason All-America teams leading into this season.

After winning SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2022, Beam had another impressive campaign in 2023, leading the team with nine victories in 17 starts to go along with a 3.63 ERA and a career-best 88 strikeouts to help lead UT to its sixth Men's College World Series appearance in program history.

Moore enters his junior season with high expectations after putting up impressive numbers over his first two years on Rocky Top. In his first year as an everyday starter in 2023, the Brooklyn, New York, native led the team with 66 runs scored, 129 total bases, 50 walks, a .444 on-base percentage and 16 stolen bases to go along with a .304 batting average, 13 doubles, 17 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Amick is set to embark on his first season with the program after spending his first two years at Clemson, where he earned second-team ABCA All-America honors and first-team All-SEC acclaim in 2023 after leading the Tigers with a .413 batting average, 17 doubles, a .772 slugging percentage and a 1.236 OPS. The South Carolina native also finished second on the team with 13 homers and 63 RBIs despite starting only 42 games.

Tennessee opens the 2024 season ranked as high as No. 5 nationally and will kick off its campaign with a ranked battle against No. 21 Texas Tech at the Shriners Children's College Showdown in Arlington, Texas on Feb. 16. The Vols will also take on Big 12 foes Oklahoma and Baylor over the weekend at Globe Life Field.

2024 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

Eastern Division
1. Florida (11) – 88
2. Tennessee (2) – 75
3. Vanderbilt (1) – 73
4. South Carolina – 50
5. Kentucky – 44
6. Georgia – 36
7. Missouri – 19

Western Division
1. Arkansas (9) – 87
2. LSU (5) – 82
3. Texas A&M – 68
4. Alabama – 47
5. Auburn – 46
6. Ole Miss – 32
7. Mississippi State – 23

SEC Champion: Arkansas (9), LSU (3), Florida (2)
() – First Place Votes

2024 Preseason All-SEC Teams

First Team
C: Cole Messina, South Carolina
1B: Jac Caglianone, Florida
2B: Cade Kurland, Florida
3B: Tommy White, LSU
SS: Colby Shelton, Florida
OF: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
OF: Ethan Petry, South Carolina
OF: Kendall Diggs, Arkansas
DH/UTL: Ike Irish, Auburn
SP: Hagen Smith, Arkansas
SP: Drew Beam, Tennessee
RP: Brandon Neely, Florida

Second Team
C: Devin Burkes, Kentucky
1B: Charlie Condon, Georgia
2B: Christian Moore, Tennessee
3B: Billy Amick, Tennessee
SS: Jonathan Vastine, Vanderbilt
OF: Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M
OF: Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State
OF: Bobby Peirce, Auburn
DH/UTL: Hayden Travinski, LSU
SP: Jac Caglianone, Florida
SP: Carter Holton, Vanderbilt
RP: Alton Davis II, Alabama

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