Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello has his fourth first-round draft pick while at Tennessee. Pitcher Chase Dollander was taken No. 9 overall by the Colorado Rockies on Sunday night in the MLB Draft.
Todd Helton, Tennessee legend, was taken No. 8 overall also by Colorado in 1995.
Dollander becomes the highest rated draft pick during the Vitello era. He joins 2022 outfielders Jordan Beck and Drew Gilbert and 2020 pitcher Garrett Crochet. Dollander’s best season came in his sophomore season.
The 6-foot-2 and 200-pound pitcher went 10-0 in 2022 with a 2.39 ERA. He struck out 78 in 79 innings of work after transferring to Tennessee from Georgia Southern. In 2023, he saw his production decrease.
Dollander went 7-6 in 2023, posting a 4.75 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 79 innings. Nevertheless, Dollander was projected anywhere from No. 8 overall to No. 12 overall going into the MLB Draft. He came into the night ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect by MLB.com.
Out of Evansville, Georgia, the righty posted a 3.64 ERA at Tennessee and helped the Vols pick up their first win in the College World Series in over 20 years. He was the ace of the 2022 Vols, one of the best teams college baseball has seen.
Several other Vols are also expected to hear their names called early in the MLB Draft. Shortstop Maui Ahuna is widely projected as a late second round or early third round selection thanks to his defensive prowess. Ahuna hit .312 at Tennessee.
Jared Dickey is also projected in the first two days of the draft. Dickey led the Vols offensively, hitting .328 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs.
Andrew Lindsey can also see his name called earlier in the draft. He boasted a 2.90 ERA after becoming a consistent starter for Tennessee. Seth Halvorsen, with an ERA of 3.81, could also go in the first two days as a bullpen arm.
Chase Dollander (11) chalks up another strikeout at the end of the 6th inning in Game 2 against Southern Mississippi at Pete Taylor Park, Sunday, June 11, 2023.
