Series Preview: Vols host Florida to Open SEC Play

SEC baseball is finally back as the Vols host Florida starting Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Tennessee enters SEC play as the only undefeated team in the country, boasting a 17-0 record, and holds the number 1 ranking in every major poll except one. Florida, ranked number 6 in the CBC Top 25 this week, brings a strong 16-2 record into the weekend. Both teams carry high expectations of reaching Omaha this season, and this series will serve as their first true tests of the season.

Florida enters the series off an impressive midweek victory over number 3 Florida State, taking down the Seminoles, 7-2. Florida has been one of the best teams in the country to this point, but they have yet to face a high-end pitching staff over a three game weekend series. 

Marcus Phillips v St. Bonaventure via @Vol_baseball on X

Florida team stats:

• Batting

  • .331/.441/.564, 29 HR, 161 R

• Pitching

  • 3.14 ERA, 149 IP, 213 K, 1.08 WHIP

Where does one start with how good this Tennessee team has been to start the 2025 season? The Vols head into the weekend at 17-0 playing like arguably the best team in the country. No other team in the country has been as dominant as the Vols, who boast a +9.8 run differential per game. The next closest teams in the country are Alabama and LSU, who are tied at +7.1. The Vols also lead the country in home runs, slugging pct., ERA, H/9, and WHIP, while also being top 10 in the country in batting average, on base pct., walks, runs, strikeouts, K/9, and K/BB ratio. In other words, the Vols are really, really good at every aspect of the game.

Tennessee team stats:

• Batting

  • .340/.485/.690, 50 HR, 203 R

• Pitching

  • 1.77 ERA, 137 IP, 207 K, 0.93 WHIP

Players to watch

Tennessee

Liam Doyle made Keith Law’s top 100 MLB draft prospects as the number one prospect in baseball. Doyle has been remarkable in his four starts this season, showing a huge step forward from his 2024 campaign at Ole Miss. Doyle has allowed just one earned run while striking out a nation-leading 47 batters over just 20.1 innings pitched.

Andrew Fischer is red hot at the plate over his last 7 games, posting 6 home runs to pair with a .368 batting average since the game against Arizona. Fischer is also tied for 5th in the nation in walks with 22. The Ole Miss transfer has played a significant number of innings at both 1B and 3B this year and will continue to hold down the corner infield spots as Tony Vitello works other players in around him.

If the season ended today, Gavin Kilen would have a very strong argument to win the Golden Spikes Award. Kilen has a 1.611 OPS this season and his 8 home runs are tied for 12th in the country. A slew of stats that show Kilen’s dominance in the early season, but possibly the most impressive stat is that he has only struck out three times, compared to seventeen walks. Last season at Louisville, Kilen had a very good 9.9% strikeout rate; in the early season this year he has improved that to a miniscule 4% strikeout rate. SEC pitching will prove a tougher test going forward, but Kilen’s plate discipline took a step forward once he got to Knoxville.

Levi Clark might be the best true freshman in the country to this point in the season. He is leading the team in both batting average and on base percentage with a slash line of .488/.610/1.000. Clark has also shown impressive power for a freshman, powering 6 home runs in just 43 at bats. Clark has mainly fit in as the everyday DH since earning his way into the lineup with his 2 home runs, including a pinch hit grand slam, against Samford. Clark has started every game since the Samford series and does not appear to be willing to give that spot back.

Florida

Liam Peterson is elite. Peterson is easily a top 5 pitcher in the SEC and likely the best sophomore arm in the conference. Peterson boasts a 0.86 ERA in 21 innings this season in what looks to be a breakout year for the sophomore star. Peterson made a start against the Vols last season and shut down that elite lineup over 4 innings, allowing no runs and striking out 7 Tennessee hitters. 

Brody Donay is off to a hot start with a .404 average, 8 homers, and 1.494 OPS to start his season. Donay has primarily been a DH since transferring to Florida prior to the 2024 season. Donay’s bat makes it impossible to leave him out of the lineup and has found a home in the 4 spot over the last couple weeks for the Gators. Donay is arguably the most talented hitter that the Vols pitching staff will have faced to this point in the season. 

Aidan King will start on Saturday for the Gators. King is another true freshman standout in the SEC this season. King has made just one career start with five appearances out of the bullpen. King has racked up 20 strikeouts in 16.1 IP and in his last outing, and only start, against Harvard he was able to punch out 8 hitters in 6 innings. King will be tested by this Vols lineup in his first ever SEC game on Saturday. 

Colby Shelton looks to have made some big strides in the offseason. Last year, Shelton hit just .254, but showed a lot of power with 20 home runs. This season, Shelton seems to be picking his pitches better and getting on base more often. His strikeout rate is down from 28.2% to just 9% this year. If Shelton can maintain his power numbers and keep the swing and miss out of his game, he becomes one of the most dangerous hitters in the conference. 

Pitching Matchups

Florida

Game 1: RHP Liam Peterson (4-0, 0.86 ERA)

Game 2: RHP Aidan King (3-0, 0.55 ERA)

Game 3: TBA

Tennessee

Game 1: Liam Doyle (3-0, 0.44 ERA)

Game 2: Marcus Phillips (1-0, 1.42 ERA)

Game 3: TBA