KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The postseason All-America honors continue to pile up for members of the Tennessee baseball team after their record-breaking season in 2022.
Four Vols were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-America teams, which were announced on Friday morning.
Sophomore pitcher Chase Dollander earned his fourth first-team All-America nod, becoming the first UT player to earn consensus first-team All-America honors since VFL and World Series champion pitcher Luke Hochevar in 2005.
Dollander has now earned first-team All-America acclaim from four outlets and was also named the SEC Pitcher of the Year, just the second player in program history to win that award (Hochevar, 2005). The Evans, Georgia, native posted a perfect 10-0 record and led the country with a 0.80 WHIP. He also was second in the SEC with 108 strikeouts and led the conference with a 2.39 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .175 batting average.
Position players Trey Lipscomb (third base) and Drew Gilbert (outfield) were both second-team selections after ranking first and fourth in the SEC in runs batted in this season. Lipscomb’s 84 RBIs rank third in single-season program history while Gilbert’s 70 rank eighth. The duo also combined to hit 33 of Tennessee’s record-setting 158 home runs.
This marks the fourth All-America team that both players have been selected to this year. Lipscomb was one of three finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award while Gilbert was a first-team All-SEC selection and the SEC Tournament MVP this season.
Rounding out the group of ABCA All-America honorees is freshman pitcher Chase Burns, who garnered third-team honors to become the most decorated freshman at Tennessee since former AL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey. This marks Burns’ third All-America team selection this year. Dickey is the only Vol to be chosen for more All-America teams as a freshman, earning recognition from four outlets in 1994.
Burns has also earned Freshman All-America honors from three different publications and was named the Freshman National Pitcher of the Year by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.
After turning down the chance to play professional baseball out of high school, Burns had a phenomenal debut season for the Big Orange, finishing with an 8-2 record and 2.91 ERA to go along with 103 strikeouts while serving as the Vols’ Friday night starter for the majority of the season. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native’s eight wins are tied for the fifth most by a UT freshman and his 103 punchouts rank third in program history.
Tennessee has had eight players earn non-freshman All-America honors this season, doubling the previous program record of four set in 2021 and 1994. If you include freshmen All-Americans, the Vols have had nine players earn All-America recognition, which also smashed the previous school record of five in 2021.
To see the complete ABCA All-America teams, click HERE. A full listing of Tennessee’s postseason All-Americans and national award winners can be seen below.
Tennessee Postseason All-Americans / National Awards Winners
Tony Vitello
Perfect Game National Coach of the Year
RHP Drew Beam
NCBWA – Second Team
NCBWA – Freshman (First Team)
Collegiate Baseball – Freshman Team
Perfect Game – Freshman Team
DH/1B Blake Burke
Collegiate Baseball – Freshman Team
Perfect Game – Freshman Team
RHP Chase Burns
NCBWA Freshman National Pitcher of the Year
Collegiate Baseball National Co-Freshman Player of the Year
NCBWA – First Team
ABCA – Third Team
Collegiate Baseball – Third Team
Collegiate Baseball – Freshman Team
NCBWA – Freshman (First Team)
Perfect Game – Freshman Team
RHP Chase Dollander
ABCA – First Team
NCBWA – First Team
Collegiate Baseball – First Team
Perfect Game – First Team
OF Drew Gilbert
NCBWA – First Team
ABCA – Second Team
Collegiate Baseball – Second Team
Perfect Game – Second Team
RHP Ben Joyce
NCBWA – Third Team
1B Luc Lipcius
CoSIDA Academic – Second Team
3B Trey Lipscomb
NCBWA – First Team
ABCA – Second Team
Collegiate Baseball – Second Team
Perfect Game – Third Team
2B Jorel Ortega
Perfect Game – Second Team
C Evan Russell
CoSIDA Academic – First Team
LHP Redmond Walsh
NCBWA – Second Team