ForumsKNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee outfielder Chris Fritts has been named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon during the live “Batting Practice Show” on SECSports.com at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala.
A first year Volunteer from Houston, Texas, Fritts saw action in 46 games, drawing starts in 26 contests, including nine in left field and 17 in right. He hit at a .270 clip with four doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs for the year.
Fritts came on strong at the end of the season, hitting .400 over his final 15 games, going 12-for-30 and scoring nine runs. During that stretch, he was able to raise his batting average 56 points from .214 to his final mark of .270, hit one home run and stole his only base of the season.
A 5-8 outfielder, Fritts wasted little time making his mark on the Tennessee program, earning a spot on SportsCenter’s “Top 10 Plays of the Day” with a remarkable catch in the seventh inning of UT’s game against then-No. 10 Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., on Sunday, Feb. 28. With the Vols trailing 1-0, Fritts made a diving catch on the warning track in left field of OSU’s Goss Stadium, completed a somersault, jumped to his feet and fired the ball back into the infield to double up the runner at first.
Fritts’ award marks the sixth straight season that Tennessee has had at least one player on the SEC All-Freshman Team. The Vol trio of James Adkins, J.P. Arencibia and Julio Borbon started the trend in 2005, with Tony Delmonico continuing it the following season. Yan Gomes and Jeff Lockwood both earned the honors in 2007 and Kentrail Davis and P.J. Polk followed suit in 2008. Current sophomore Zach Osborne made it five consecutive seasons last year.
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