When news broke that Billy Amick was transferring from Clemson to Tennessee, it was immediately perceived as a shocking move by most.
The sophomore infielder had just finished an impressive season, winning the team’s offensive MVP award and earning All-ACC first-team honors. As a sophomore in 2021, he hit .413 with 37 runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 63 RBIs.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Clemson baseball head coach Erik Bakich briefly touched on Amick’s decision.
“Billy’s a great hitter, and I think there’s probably a lot of things that went into it for him personally, so I don’t want to speak for him,” Bakich said. “I think for me, we didn’t want him to go, but, obviously, we wish him all the best. He’s an elite hitter, and he had an elite year, so I hope he continues to find that success.”
Shortly after his announcement Amick later revealed that the reason he wanted to leave Clemson was to be able to play third base, as opposed to designated hitter and first base, which is what Amick primarily played this past season.
Based on Amick’s comments, it sounds like Tenessee head coach Tony Vitello is going to give him the opportunity to make that position change.
“(Vitello) is going to let me be me,” Amick told Knox News. “That is really important to me and a lot of players. Nobody wants to be put in a cookie cutter of, ‘This is how you have to play ball and this is how your game should be.’ Being your own player is very important for anybody.”
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