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Cannon Peebles commits to Tennessee baseball as catcher transfer

Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
·2 min read
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Cannon Peebles, a transfer catcher from North Carolina State, has committed to Tennessee baseball.

"Let's do it," Peebles wrote Tuesday night on Twitter.

Peebles was an All-ACC freshman selection at North Carolina State in 2023. The switch-hitting catcher hit .352 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 39 games. He had .697 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base percentage.

The Ashland, Virginia, native is the second commitment out of the portal for the Vols in what figures to be a busy offseason of additions. Jacksonville State pitcher AJ Causey committed on June 23.

The Vols went into the offseason needing to address the catcher position after a lackluster offensive season behind the plate. Cal Stark started 43 times ahead of Charlie Taylor's 21. Stark hit .180 with five homers and struck out 50 times in 111 at-bats. Ryan Miller was sparingly used as a pinch-hitter for his big bat, but needs to improve defensively.

UT toyed with using Jared Dickey at catcher in fall 2022 but he settled into the outfield during the season.

TRACKER: Tennessee baseball transfer tracker: Vols working in transfer portal again

Tennessee has not had full stability at catcher in the past two seasons since Connor Pavolony was drafted by Baltimore Orioles. It moved Evan Russell from left field to catcher for the 2022 season and he turned in a strong season. It landed a transfer prior to the 2022 season in Matthew McCormick, but he stepped away from baseball. The Vols secured a commitment from Austin Peay catcher Jack Alexander before the 2023 season, but he signed with the Kansas City Royals on a free-agent deal following the MLB Draft.

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 lands Cannon Peebles, catcher transfer