University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Scout Day Showcases Student-Athletes
October 16, 2014 | Baseball
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Scout Day had a different look for Tennessee baseball this year, and it was not just the product on the field.
Sure, the quality of the talent that patrolled Robert M. Lindsay field had a lot to do with number of Major League Baseball scouts and cross checkers in the stands. But the biggest change was in those stands, where the crowd of more than 30 professional baseball personnel that represented over 20 teams took in the workout.
"I just got done telling them as I welcomed them to Lindsey Nelson Stadium and the University of Tennessee that we think we have a good working relationship with them," head coach Dave Serrano said. "The program has come a long way and that's what we expected. My first year, we had one scout here. To say that we have 30 here now bodes well for how the talent has risen as the years have gone by."
The scouts were welcomed to the event with a catered lunch and gift pack. Each one received a packet of information on Tennessee's roster and draft-eligible student-athletes.
Serrano said putting in the work to bring visibility to his players that strive to reach the next level is a big part of helping those athletes reach their goals on and off the field.
"We take a lot of pride in that," he said. "We know that we're here, first and foremost, to graduate student-athletes and to win on the SEC and the national stage. But we're also here to develop young baseball players and prepare them for the next level so when they're ready to move up the ladder, they're able to move up faster than the normal player."
From an on-field perspective, the workout on Scout Day unfolded much like every other practice for the Volunteers this fall, with a couple of exceptions. All position players took part in a timed 60-yard sprint before batting practice. The players also wore full uniforms to be easily identifiable to the scouts as well as the fans that turned out on a cool, overcast afternoon.
The team went through the usual slate of position work, batting practice and infield/outfield before a few innings of intrasquad work. Though scouts regularly attend practice, having the full audience added a little spring to the players' step.
"They'll be excited because it's an opportunity," Serrano said. "We want every young man that runs out onto this field to dream about playing at the next level. But first things first, they need to be a great student-athlete here at the university of Tennessee and those doors will open wide when you take care of business."
The next time the stopwatches and radar guns come out in full force, the season will be underway in February. Though the feedback Serrano has received from scouts has been strong, he feels there is still much work to be done before Tennessee is ready to open at Florida International in February.
"There's excitement in the air," he said. "I know there are many scouts that have seen us already that say `You guys have a chance to be a good club.' That's their opinion, mine is that we have a long way to go. We have a lot of hard work to do, there are adjustments we need to make. We need to be different, we need to do something different than we have done in the past and that's our challenge each and every day."
