The Volunteers begin the season ranked as high as No. 11 in the national preseason rankings. Their first action of the year is a three-game series at Florida State Feb. 2-4. Tennessee opens its home schedule Feb. 9-11 against Eastern Michigan.
PRESEASON NOTES:
· A trio of highly-touted prospects will try to lead the Vols back to the College World Series for the second time in their careers. Juniors J.P. Arencibia, Julio Borbon and James Adkins were key contributors as freshmen during Tennessees run to Omaha in 2005, and each are projected as top-20 picks in the MLB Draft by Baseball America.
· Arencibia (career: .335, 25 HRs and 123 RBIs) enters the season as a National Player of the Year candidate and will be among the favorites to claim the Johnny Bench Award for the nations best catcher. The Miami native and 2006 All-America selection was the only SEC backstop to be named a semifinalist for the award last season, and the slugger could pass Todd Helton with 14 home runs this season to set a new school record.
· After spending the summer with Arencibia on Team USA, Borbon (career: .358, 87 runs and 31 stolen bases) returns to Rocky Top as the starting centerfielder and the Vols top-rated potential professional. Borbon is slated as the seventh pick in the draft thanks to his combination of speed, average and newfound power that he put on display while with the national team. Playing with a wood bat, Borbon smacked four homers for the Stars and Stripes -- the same number the Vols' leadoff hitter was belted in his two previous seasons at UT.
· Adkins (career: 18-11, 3.86 ERA with 247 strikeouts) should be the anchor of the rotation for the Vols and is projected as the 11th-best prospect in the upcoming draft. The crafty left-hander will likely become the schools all-time leader in strikeouts this season, as the junior needs just 99 Ks to pass R.A. Dickey and establish a new UT record. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native has fanned at least 112 batters in each of his two seasons in Orange and White.
· Senior Craig Cobb doesnt garner nearly the attention or possess a lofty professional projection like Arencibia, Borbon or Adkins, but the steady right-hander has quietly become one of the most effective hurlers in the SEC and ranks among the most reliable pitchers in UT history. The versatile Cobb makes frequent appearances out of the bullpen, but he also started 10 games for UT last season and tossed four complete games, including a shutout of LSU, while going 9-3 with a 3.31 ERA. Cobbs sixth appearance of the year will set a new UT record, passing R.A. Dickeys total of 73 atop the list.
· The Vols freshman class ranks among the nations best, led by five players who have been previously drafted and highly-rated high school and junior college standouts. Highlighting the Vols crop of newcomers are 2006 draft picks Lance McClain (LHP, Texas, 24th round), Nick Hernandez (LHP, Oakland, 32nd round), Bryan Morgado (LHP, Boston, 34th round) and Ryan Butner (RHP, San Francisco, 38th round) as well as 2005 selection Danny Lima (INF, Cleveland, 38th round).
· Tennessees other newcomers include: Baseball Americas 143rd-best high school prospect Yan Gomes (C/INF) and 259th-best high school prospect and Collegiate Baseball prep All-America selection Jeff Lockwood (1B/LHP), 2006 NJCAA national home runs leader Chad Maddox (OF), 2006 NJCAA national stolen bases leader Andy Simunic (INF/OF), closer for the 2006 NJCAA national championship team Zane Stone (RHP), All-State Memphis product Allen Wright (INF) and Florida Gulf Coast University transfer Shawn Griffin (OF).
Tennessee baseball players J.P. Arencibia and Julio Borbon continued their impressive preseason honors haul Tuesday, as both were named second-team preseason All-America selections by Rivals.com. This latest announcement marks the third preseason All-America award for Arencibia this year and the second for Borbon.
A junior catcher, Arencibia also appeared on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the Louisville Slugger preseason All-America squads. Borbon, a junior centerfielder, was on the Louisville Slugger preseason list.
Borbon hit .366 with 86 hits and 19 stolen bases last season. Arencibia batted .352 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. Both players starred for the gold-medal-winning USA Baseball National Team this past summer.
Both Arencibia and Borbon, along with junior left-handed pitcher James Adkins, are projected as potential first-round picks in this Junes MLB draft. They lead the 11th-ranked Volunteers into the 2007 campaign with a three-game series at Florida State Feb. 2-4. Tennessee opens its home schedule with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan Feb. 9-11 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
hmy: