Unpacking Tennessee baseball offense with Blake Burke, Christian Moore, Maui Ahuna

Tennessee baseball is replacing all eight starting position players from a season ago, when it set a program record with 157 home runs.

The No. 2 Vols open the season Friday against Arizona in the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona. UT has its home opener on Feb. 21 against Alabama A&M. Here is what to know about the offense:

Blake Burke, Christian Moore to set the identity and tone

Tennessee has a stellar sophomore pair in first baseman Blake Burke and second baseman Christian Moore. Both played key roles as freshmen and are now centerpieces in the lineup.

Burke hit .326 with 14 homers in 95 at-bats and had an .821 slugging percentage. Moore hit .305 with 10 homers and had a big summer in the Cape Cod League working on his defensive skills. Coach Tony Vitello praised both for their strides in leadership.

"(Burke) had to bide his time and probably more than most sophomores, kind of is like, 'I want some ownership of this thing,' " Vitello said.

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Transfer trio will dictate Tennessee's offensive ceiling

The Vols boosted their roster through the transfer portal, adding three of the nation's top 20 transfers according to Baseball America.

Shortstop Maui Ahuna leads the group. He batted .396 with eight homers and 48 RBIs at Kansas last season. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound shortstop had 16 doubles and four triples. Ahuna and Alabama third baseman transfer Zane Denton will anchor the left side of the infield. Denton, a Brentwood native, hit .263 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs, and a .483 slugging percentage.

Outfielder Griffin Merritt joined UT from Cincinnati after he was the American Athletic Conference player of the year in 2022 after hitting .315 with 19 homers and a team-leading 53 RBIs.

Tennessee could go by-committee at catcher

Evan Russell started 54 of Tennessee's 61 games at catcher last season. It's unlikely one player will dominate the position in 2023.

Charlie Taylor is back and Vitello said the junior has "certainly taken ownership" at the position. He is a defensive dynamo and showed improved hitting in the fall. UT also has sophomore Ryan Miller and junior Cal Stark. Stark is a powerful right-handed hitter out of junior college. Miller is an athletic left-handed bat and a DH option.

"It is a nice complement of guys we’ve got back there," Vitello said.

Jared Dickey (.380, seven homers in 40 games) worked at catcher throughout the offseason, but he likely will settle in the outfield or at designated hitter.

How will the Tennessee outfield settle?

Merritt has an outfield spot secured. The other two spots are the most interesting spots on Tennessee's roster.

Freshmen outfielders Reese Chapman and Dylan Dreiling will have a say in how the position shakes out. Vitello likened them to Jordan Beck and Drew Gilbert, who arrived in 2020 and turned into top MLB Draft picks.

"Exciting future for those two guys at those spots and they should be thinking the future is now," Vitello said.

Dickey should claim a spot. Kyle Booker (.222 in 29 games) is a breakout candidate as a junior. Christian Scott (.200 in 51 games with 11 starts) is experienced and Vitello is high on the fifth-year senior. Logan Chambers (.200 in 18 games) and Kavares Tears are good left-handed bats. Chambers is a DH candidate.

Freshman outfield Alex Stanwich, who is as highly regarded as Chapman and Dreiling, is taking the semester off to "get some things sorted out," Vitello said.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball preview: Blake Burke, Maui Ahuna lead offense