University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Baseball Team Begins Fall Workouts
September 15, 2003 | Baseball
Sept. 15, 2003
After going through individual workouts the past three weeks, the 2003-04 edition of the University of Tennessee baseball team begins three weeks of team practice at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 18. There will be a media opportunity with the coaches and players at the stadium on Thursday beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The annual Orange and White baseball game is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.
Tennessee head coach Rod Delmonico welcomes 31 players for the fall semester and is excited about the start of a new year. The Volunteers baseball roster contains 15 pitchers, four catchers, seven infielders and five outfielders. All are healthy and are expected to participate.
"A couple of concerns come to mind, like finding a first baseman and getting another catcher," Delmonico said. "Nick Crowe, who will start his fourth position in three years, is a rookie behind the plate, so we are putting some emphasis on finding some help there.
"We think the other positions are better. We improved our ranks through the newcomers from both the junior college and incoming freshmen. We will still have a few guys moving around to other positions.
"There seems to be more talent out there this year than we had last year. I feel good that we have the people that we can put in place and the infield is also much improved. Our pitching staff is probably the deepest it's ever been with six legitimate starters vying for three spots on the weekend. That will be the most interesting thing to watch this fall and in the preseason next spring."
Delmonico also noted that in addition to the nine signees joining this year's team, the Volunteers get starting pitcher Patrick Hicklen back from Tommy John surgery and gain Scot Drucker, a pitching transfer from Florida, who sat out last season.
The most notable of the newcomers is freshman Sean Watson, a right-handed pitcher from Miami, Fla., and infielder Eric King, a junior college transfer from Los Medanos College.
Watson was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 21st round in 2003 and fashioned a 12-0 mark as a senior with a 0.67 ERA, striking out 127 in 74 innings with just 20 walks.
King, a two-time Northern California All-America choice, batted .370 with 14 doubles, three home runs and 35 RBI in 2003 after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 35th round in 2002.
The Volunteers suffered one major loss prior to the start of classes, when incoming junior pitcher Scott Feldman unexpectedly signed with the Texas Rangers in June. A 30th-round pick by the Rangers, Feldman pitched three 1-2-3 innings in one semi-pro game and was signed immediately.
The 2004 season marks coach Delmonico's 15th anniversary with the Volunteers, after taking over the program following the 1989 season. He ranks seventh all-time in the Southeastern Conference with 550 victories and needs just eight more to pass Florida's Dave Fuller for sixth place.
The season begins Friday, Feb. 13, as the Volunteers host the Morehead State Golden Eagles in a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. In addition, Tennessee has home weekend series with Eastern Michigan, Georgia State, Siena, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Vanderbilt and Florida. The Vols have road weekend series at Miami, Mississippi State, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and South Carolina.
