Tag: zane denton

Tony Vitello previews left side of Vols’ infield

Tony Vitello previews the left side of Tennessee’s infield ahead of the 2023 season.

Tennessee will feature a new shortstop and third baseman in 2023, replacing starters Cortland Lawson and Trey Lipscomb.

Transfers Maui Ahuna (shortstop, Kansas) and Zane Denton (third base, Alabama) are slated to replace Lawson and Lipscomb.

Ahead of the 2023 season, sixth-year head coach Tony Vitello discussed Ahuna and Denton transferring to Tennessee.

“For Zane, where this happened, this happened, this happened, then he gets sick, and he has time away, and all this while he’s trying to transition into a new environment,” Vitello said of Denton when arriving at Tennessee in the fall. “It’s so awesome to just see a smile on his face and kind of become one of the guys is probably his main goal right now. Because he, you know, he can swing, he can play defense, he knows the league. Now his body is kind of where it needs to be, again, a couple of illnesses is a setback and time away last semester, but he had to deal with stuff that even an adult shouldn’t have to all in one semester. I got to think if anyone’s eager to be out there on the field, it’s him.

“Then Maui is a super lovable kid and everybody knows he’s highly skilled, but same thing, you’re wrapped up in a culture and an experience. For two years, you kind of feel like that’s who you’ve become and now you got to reverse it. It’s one thing about the portal. I don’t know if I should say this, but sometimes you got to, you got to take everything into consideration. Maybe the grass is greener on our side, in his instance, because there was a coaching change. You don’t just step on a campus, and just because you’re a good player all of a sudden, bam, here I am. There’s some time, and again, refreshing to see how he interacts and how he goes about his business with some of the things we do as opposed to first semester, and not that he was doing anything wrong, he’s certainly well schooled by coach (Ritch) Price’s program coming in here. It’s a new environment and those two guys need to reflect what we got going on — and they’re starting to do that.”

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Tony Vitello discusses Zane Denton transferring to Tennessee

Tony Vitello discusses Zane Denton transferring to Tennessee.

Third baseman Zane Denton transferred to Tennessee from Alabama July 2.

Denton is from Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

He started 58 games for the Crimson Tide in 2022, recording a .263 batting average, 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, 35 runs, 61 hits and 22 walks.

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello met with media Friday and discussed Denton joining the Vols’ program.

“It’s been great to have him,” Vitello said. “He’s a Tennessee kid. I think we were just a little late to the party as it relates to his recruiting efforts. When he was in high school, we had just gotten hired. We were able to kind of get in there and get an offer with him, but he had a really long existing relationship with Alabama, including their hitting coach that was there his first couple of years. It’s just been great to have him here because when we faced him, it’s like, man, this Tennessee guy, it’d be great to see him in a Tennessee uniform.

“He shores up a spot that is one of the more difficult spots in college baseball to fill, maybe other than having a catcher, that that’s the spot. You need a great defender in there, but it’s also a spot like the big leagues, you expect great things offensively, and when you talk about Andre (Lipcius), Trey (Lipscomb) and (Jake) Rucker, those are three guys that sat in the middle of the order, made every play for us, and shored up a position that maybe we weren’t quite as rich in wealth when we first showed up here. I think part of the success in the program has been we’ve had a dynamite player at that position, and he really impressed us with how much better he got defensively, how he took care of his body or developed physically there, and then hitting. Everybody knows he is fully capable of doing that.”

Below are Denton’s career statistics during his time at Alabama from 2020-22.

Former Alabama Baseball third baseman transferring to SEC school

Former Alabama third baseman Zane Denton is transferring to Tennessee. Last season, he led the Crimson Tide in home runs.

Former Alabama third baseman Zane Denton announced that he will be transferring to Tennessee. He posted the news on his Instagram page. His caption read, “I’m coming home.”

Denton has been a staple at the hot corner for the Crimson Tide over the past few years. The native of Brentwood, Tennessee joined the baseball program as a part of the 2019 recruiting class. During his freshman season, he appeared in 13 games with 11 starts. He held a .220 batting average on the season.

His production increased in his sophomore season. He earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors for his stellar work at third. Denton started in all 58 games that he played during his sophomore season at the Capstone. He maintained a .308 batting average with 10 home runs and 40 runs batted in.

That didn’t keep him from having yet another stellar season as a junior. In 2022, he started 58 games yet again. This past season he led the Tide with 13 home runs and 48 runs batted in. His production was a key to the success that the baseball team had this past season. However, after the end of his junior campaign, he decided to enter the transfer portal.

Now, he will return home to play for Tony Vitello’s Volunteers. The Vols were projected by many to win the College World Series after an outlandish season in 2022. They would come up short of winning it all in a loss against Notre Dame. The expectations are high for next season’s team and Denton will likely play a huge role in Knoxville next season. Brad Bohannon will likely replace Denton with Tennessee Tech transfer Ed Johnson.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama baseball as the offseason continues.

PHOTOS: Tennessee transfer Zane Denton playing at Lindsey Nelson Stadium

PHOTOS: Tennessee transfer Zane Denton playing at Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Alabama junior third baseman Zane Denton has transferred to Tennessee.

“I’m coming home,” Denton announced.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Denton is from Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

He started 58 games for the Crimson Tide in 2022, recording a .263 batting average, 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, 35 runs, 61 hits and 22 walks.

Denton joins a Tennessee program that finished 57-9 in 2022. The Vols won the Southeastern Conference East division, the league’s regular season championship and the tournament title.

Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Super Regional after winning the Knoxville Regional.

Denton and Alabama played at Tennessee April 15-17. Below are photos of Denton playing at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Zane Denton transfers from Alabama to Tennessee

Zane Denton transfers from Alabama to Tennessee.

Alabama junior third baseman Zane Denton has transferred to Tennessee.

“I’m coming home,” Denton announced Saturday.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Denton is from Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

He started 58 games for the Crimson Tide in 2022, recording a .263 batting average, 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, 35 runs, 61 hits and 22 walks.

Tennessee finished 57-9 in 2022. The Vols won the Southeastern Conference East division, the league’s regular season championship and the tournament title.

Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Super Regional after winning the Knoxville Regional.

Former Notre Dame starting catcher transfers to Tennessee

Final 2022 records for each SEC baseball team

2022 Vols’ baseball: Interesting facts about every Tennessee player

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Florida uses late rally to move past Alabama, eliminates Tide from tournament

Alabama erased two Florida leads, but could not catch up to the Gators’ late rally to advance in the SEC Tournament.

The no. 11 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide played well in Saturday’s elimination game against Florida, by erasing the Gators’ lead two different times over the course of the game.

However, it was a four-run 9th inning by Florida that ultimately lifted the Gators over Alabama, 11-6 in an elimination game at the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

Florida led off with a home run by power hitter Wyatt Langford on just the third pitch of the game to push them ahead, 1-0. The Gators would score three more runs on a two-RBI single by Josh Rivera, and an RBI double by Jac Caglianone.

Despite being down 4-0 before even picking up a bat, Alabama did not fret. The Tide evened up the score beginning with an RBI single by[autotag] Dominic Tamez[/autotag], and ending with a three-run blast by [autotag]Zane Denton[/autotag].

Alabama’s second comeback of the day happened in the 3rd inning. Over the 2nd and 3rd inning, Florida regained the lead by scoring one run in each inning. Alabama tied the game yet again on one swing of the bat. [autotag]Drew Williamson[/autotag] crushed a two-run homer to center field to bring the game to a 6-6 tie.

Florida jumped back in front in the 6th inning when BT Riopelle grounded into a double play to score Langford from 3rd base. Then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 9th by plating four runs in the top of the inning.

Williamson led Alabama at the plate with two hits, while Denton drove in three runs.

Alabama will now sit back and await their fate in the NCAA Tournament, the announcement of the Tide’s postseason destination will come Monday morning.

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Alabama downs Arkansas to keep hot streak alive

Alabama grabbed their second win in the SEC Tournament by striking early and fighting off a comeback effort.

The Alabama Crimson Tide just keeps finding ways to win.

For the second day in a row, Alabama grabbed a win by taking an early lead and fighting off a comeback attempt by their opponent in the SEC Tournament. On Wednesday, the victim was Arkansas, who Alabama defeated, 4-3 at the Hoover Met.

After defeating Georgia on Tuesday to move into the double-elimination portion of the bracket at the SEC Tournament, Alabama got a tough draw in the no. 3 seed Arkansas Razorbacks.

While Arkansas has been a top-10 team all season, they have faltered in recent weeks, especially against Alabama. The Crimson Tide closed the regular season by taking two-of-three games from the Razorbacks in Tuscaloosa and had another shot to keep their momentum going.

Alabama struck first in the 2nd inning. With the bases loaded [autotag]Tommy Siedl[/autotag] reached base with a fielder’s choice, which allowed [autotag]Dominic Tamez[/autotag] to score to give Alabama the 1-0 lead. However, a throwing error by Arkansas allowed an additional run. After [autotag]Zane Denton[/autotag] crossed the plate, the Tide found themselves up, 2-0.

The Tide extended their lead by two runs over the next two innings. [autotag]Caden Rose[/autotag] scored on a sacrifice fly by [autotag]Drew Williamson[/autotag]in the 3rd inning, and another Razorback error led to Siedl scoring, setting up Alabama with a 4-1 lead.

Much like Tuesday’s game with Georgia, Arkansas used the long ball to trim the Tide lead, but it would not be enough. Jalen Battles hit a solo home run to left center in the 3rd inning, and Chris Lanzilli hit a two-run blast in the 6th to cut the lead to 4-3.

In a game that saw just nine hits total by both teams, Drew Williamson recorded two of Alabama’s four hits. Zane Denton and [autotag]Bryce Eblin[/autotag] picked up the other two.

The Crimson Tide used five pitchers in the game, with [autotag]Antoine Jean[/autotag] grabbing the win for Alabama. [autotag]Dylan Ray[/autotag] was instrumental for the second straight day, as he picked up his 8th save of the season by striking out the only batter he faced in the 9th.

Alabama will now await the winner of Tennessee-Vanderbilt. Due to weather yet again altering the schedule, Tennessee will face Vanderbilt at 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday morning, meaning that Alabama’s next game will be determined at a later time.

Alabama battles elements in opening round win over Georgia

Alabama battled two rain delays in their SEC Tournament opener, but a quick start to the game would be enough to defeat Georgia.

The Alabama Crimson Tide started strong in the opening game of the SEC Tournament in Hoover and kept their composure through a lengthy rain delay to grab the opening round win and move on to the double-elimination portion of the bracket.

Alabama jumped out to a large lead over the first two innings and held off a tough Georgia comeback to defeat the Bulldogs, 5-3 in round one of the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met on Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide grabbed an early 5-0 lead over Georgia heading into the bottom of the 2nd inning. Alabama plated three runs in the 1st inning on RBI singles by [autotag]Andrew Pinckney[/autotag] and [autotag]Zane Denton[/autotag]. The third run came on a flyout by [autotag]William Hamiter[/autotag] that was deep enough to score Pinckney from third base.

Alabama got off to a great start in the 2nd inning, by loading the bases with one out to bring Drew Williamson to the plate. During the at-bat, a wild pitch got away Georgia’s Fernando Gonzalez behind the dish to score Tommy Siedl, extending the lead to 4-0.

Williamson still made the most of his at-bat, as he would fly out to center field to score Caden Rose from 3rd to score what would be Alabama’s final run of the game.

Georgia used one of their power bats to cut into Alabama’s lead in the bottom half of the inning. Parks Harber, who entered the game tied for the team’s lead in home runs, crushed his 12th home run of the season to right field to trim Alabama’s lead to 5-1.

The game would then pause in the 3rd inning, as the second rain delay of the game took place and would last for nearly two hours. Once the game resumed, the bats would remain relatively quiet until the bottom of the 8th inning.

In an effort to come back in the game, Georgia’s Connor Tate hit a two-run home run to center field to cut Alabama’s lead to 5-3.

Dylan Ray was called upon to close the game for the Tide, and did so by striking out two of three batters that he faced, slamming the door and solidifying the win.

Zane Denton grabbed two hits for Alabama in the win, while Ben Hess was dominant on the mound in a relief effort. In 4.1 innings out of the bullpen following the rain delay, Hess struck out ten batters while allowing just one walk and one hit.

Next up for Alabama is a rematch with the no. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. CDT. Alabama recently took two of three games from Arkansas last weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

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Alabama baseball upsets No. 9 Florida in walk-off fashion

Alabama avoids the sweep against Florida in Game 3

Alabama baseball had a rough start against Florida in their first SEC series, dropping Game 1 6-4 and Game 2 13-6, but was able to avoid the sweep today at home in Game 3 following an 8-7 win.

Zane Denton managed to put a dart through the right field to get the winning score across the plate in the bottom of the ninth for the win on getaway day.

The game was back and forth throughout, with the Tide and Gators trading the lead continuously throughout for the third consecutive game.

The game was tied up at four apiece after four full innings, with the Tide gaining a 5-4 advantage in the fifth thanks to Denton’s first RBI-single of the day.

The Gators pulled back in front in the eighth with Jud Fabian putting UF ahead with a two-run home run. A single and a stolen base then placed a runner in scoring position before a two-out single through the right side added one more. The Tide was able to cut the lead to one thanks to a solo homer from Denton in the home half.

Denton’s second RBI-single of the game gave the Tide the win in the bottom half of the ninth to secure the win in walk-off fashion and improve their overall record to 13-8 and 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to keep you updated on all things Crimson Tide athletics.

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Alabama Baseball: Game Ball Winners from McNeese State Series

Alabama got off to a hot start last weekend by sweeping the visiting McNeese State to open the 2021 season. Here are the game-ball winners.

The Alabama Crimson Tide got off to a hot start last weekend by sweeping the visiting McNeese State Cowboys to open the 2021 season.

When the first pitch was thrown by Connor Prielipp last Friday, it closed out a 345-day drought where baseball was not played in Tuscaloosa. The Tide capitalized on a 16-1 shortened regular season by taking all three games from McNeese State during opening weekend.

Game Ball Winners-

Connor Prielipp (5.0 innings, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts)

Prielipp and the Crimson Tide defense complemented each other during the season-opener on Friday. The All-America candidate struck out eight batters over five innings, leaving the game with a 5-0 lead.

Zane Denton (7 hits, 5 RBI, 2 HR)

Denton was a bright spot for the Alabama offense in the series, providing a key bat in clutch moments.

In a game that took a while for any offense to get going, it was Denton’s stick that came through for the series-clinching win. Down 3-0 heading to the 7th inning, Denton delivered a single that scored William Hamiter to put Alabama on the board. Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Denton delivered again with a solo walk-off home run to give Alabama the 4-3 win.

Denton finished the day with three hits and two RBI. Denton also nailed a home run and collected two more RBI in the Sunday clincher.

Owen Diodati (3 hits, 6 RBI, 2 HR)

Diodati did not collect many hits over the weekend… but the ones he did made noise. Diodati hit two home runs in Saturday and Sunday’s games respectively and collected four RBI in Sunday’s 9-5 win.

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