With the transfer portal set to close on Tuesday, July 2, three Tennessee baseball players entered their names Monday afternoon just a week removed from winning the national championship with the Volunteers.
The departed players include first baseman/outfielder Robin Villeneuve, infielder Bradke Lohry and right-handed pitcher Derek Schaefer.
Villeneuve, a junior, opened the season as Tennessee’s starting designated hitter against Texas Tech on opening Day. The power-hitting right-handed bat was a fixture in the Volunteer lineup for much of the early season before falling towards the back of the pack for pinch hit or designated hitting opportunities.
The former Junior College product hit .288 from the plate in his lone season with the program, logging five home runs with 22 runs drive in. The strikeout rate was high, however, with 38 over 80 at-bats with just 14 walks.
Like Villeneuve, Lohry began the season in the starting lineup for Tennessee before being sent to the bench when freshman Dean Curley was healthy and entered the starting lineup. That moved Christian Moore to his normal second base after beginning the season at shortstop with Lohry at the keystone.
A former Junior College product himself, Lohry managed just a .241 average with eight runs driven in and 14 runs scored over 29 at-bats. He received some opportunities as a pinch hitter and designated hitter towards the end of the season and even started at second base for Tennessee in Game 2 of the Knoxville Super Regional against Evansville.
Schaefer, a freshman right-handed pitcher, has tremendous upside. Arguably one od the Vols’ top-pitchers during fall and winter work, the newcomer received plenty of opportunities in the early season to carve out a role for this team. Instead, he was passed over by fellow freshman arm Dylan Loy and sophomore JJ Garcia for some of the final few pitcher spots on the postseason roster.
On the season, Schaefer compiled a 2-0 record with a 9.35 ERA over 10 appearances with two starts. He logged 8.2 innings of work allowing nine runs off 10 hits with 10 strikeouts to eight walks. He will have three years of eligibility remaining and will be drafted eligible in the summer of 2026.
The transfer portal opened June 3 and remains open until July 2. Seven players have now entered the transfer portal from Tennessee, a list that already included pitchers Matthew Dallas, Wyatt Evans, Daniel Parris and 2023 third baseman Zane Denton. Tennessee picked up a commitment from Junior College pitcher Thomas Crabtree before heading off to Omaha and Franklin becomes the first commitment out of the transfer portal from the 2024 cycle.
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