Top-Ranked Vols Have Six Players Garner SEC Postseason Honors

May 21, 2024

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 2024 Southeastern Conference regular season champion Tennessee Volunteers were well-represented in the league’s postseason honors, which were announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.

The Big Orange had four players earn first or second team All-SEC honors, including a pair of first-team selections, while Drew Beam was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Dean Curley was selected to the Freshman All-SEC team for a total of six players garnering SEC postseason recognition. UT’s four players on the first and second teams were the second most of any team in the league.

Christian Moore and Dylan Dreiling were tabbed as first-team picks after finishing as two of the league’s top run-producers this season while Blake Burke and Kavares Tears were named second-team selections on top of earning SEC All-Defensive team acclaim, as well.

Beam is the fourth Vol to win SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the third player to do so during head coach Tony Vitello‘s tenure, joining Nico Mascia (2018) and Garrett Stallings (2019).

The junior pitcher boasts a 3.47 GPA while majoring in finance and has been a staple in Tennessee’s weekend rotation. Beam is the only pitcher on the team that started in all 14 weekend series this season and finished the year ranked eighth in the league with a 3.59 ERA. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native finished with an impressive 8-2 record and his eight victories were tied for the fourth most in the SEC.

Moore, who was also a candidate for SEC Player of the Year, earned first-team honors for the first time in his record-breaking career. The junior second baseman won the SEC triple crown in league play, leading all players with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs and 41 RBIs in conference games.

On top of becoming Tennessee’s career leader in home runs, Moore also set the program’s single-season record for homers, having sent 27 balls over the wall this season, besting the previous mark of 24 set by Sonny Cortez back in 1998. Entering postseason play, the New York native leads the team in most offensive categories, including batting average (.388), OPS (1.262), runs (64), hits (87), home runs (27), RBIs (60), total bases (181), slugging percentage (.808) and on-base percentage (.454).

Joining Moore as a first teamer was Dreiling, who has had a breakout sophomore season for the Big Orange, ranking second on the team and tied for eighth in the SEC with 59 RBIs to go along with a 1.164 OPS, 15 doubles, 17 home runs and a team-high 37 walks. The second-year outfielder’s 35 RBIs and .722 slugging percentage in conference play both ranked seventh in the league.

Burke garnered second-team All-SEC acclaim after a monster junior season that saw him become the program’s career leader in home runs before being passed by his teammate, Moore. The California native led the conference with a career-high 23 doubles and has also set or tied career bests in batting average (.359), runs (56), hits (78), homers (16), RBIs (50) and stolen bases (eight). His 44 hits in SEC play ranked fourth in the league.

Burke also broke UT’s program record for the longest hitting streak, besting Condredge Holloway’s 1975 record of 27 straight games with a hit with a 31-game hit streak from March 1 through April 25. Burke earned a spot on the SEC All-Defensive team, as well, excelling at first base for the Vols this season. He ranks seventh in the conference with a team-high 378 putouts and boasts a .988 fielding percentage with just five errors on the year.

Tears was recognized as an all-conference performer for the first time in his career after finishing tied for seventh in the SEC with 61 runs scored while ranking among the Vols’ team leaders in most offensive categories. The redshirt-sophomore outfielder is batting .339 on the year and ranks third on the team with a 1.125 OPS to go along with 12 doubles, 16 home runs, 43 RBIs and 35 walks.

The Lewisburg, Tennessee, native joined Burke on the league’s all-defensive team after posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 68 putouts while showcasing his incredible arm strength with three outfield assists.

Curley became the fifth UT player in the Vitello era to be named to the SEC All-Freshman team after bursting onto the scene and taking hold of the Vols’ starting shortstop position. The California native leads the team with nine stolen bases and finished among the league’s freshmen leaders in numerous offensive categories, including runs (40), hits (46), doubles (eight) home runs (nine), RBIs (37), slugging percentage (.512) and walks (26).

The complete listing of SEC postseason awards and All-SEC teams can be found HERE.