LSU-Tennessee baseball transfer battles will figure prominently in SEC showdown | Adams

College baseball teams help lay the foundation for their next season with fall practice. But this week's SEC series between nationally ranked Tennessee and LSU began to take shape before then.

The two teams went head-to-head for some of the top transfers in the country. LSU won more than it lost.

That’s a big reason why LSU was ranked No. 1 in preseason, and the Vols were ranked No. 2. The Tigers are now 21-3 and still No. 1. The ninth-ranked Vols are 19-6 entering the three-game series, which begins Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Vols struck early in the transfer portal by signing Kansas shortstop Maui Ahuna. And whom did it beat out? LSU, of course.

The Tigers bounced back by signing power-hitting Tommy White from NC State and power-pitcher Paul Skenes of Air Force. In each case, they had to outsell the Vols.

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Imagine if the Vols had landed both players. Then, they might be No. 1 at this juncture.

Getting Ahuna was a coup since the Vols had lost starting shortstop Courtland Lawson and eight other position players from the 57-9 team in 2022. Ahuna has given them a slick fielder and added another proven bat to the lineup.

Ahuna’s hitting perked up after a slow start, which could have been attributed to sitting out the first two weeks of the season before the NCAA cleared him for eligibility. But after he batted .396 for the Jayhawks last season, there was little doubt he would bolster UT’s offense.

Tennessee further strengthened the left side of its infield with the signing of Alabama transfer third baseman Zane Denton. He also has added more punch to the lineup with five home runs and a .324 batting average.

Tennessee was at a disadvantage in its recruitment of White, who was was a designated hitter with the Wolfpack last season after incurring a shoulder injury. But he wanted assurance he could play third base once he transferred. LSU provided that assurance.

Ironically, White reinjured his shoulder early in the season and became a designated hitter. Once the shoulder healed in mid-March, White returned to third base. No matter where he plays, he hits. After last week's SEC series against Arkansas, White was batting. 372 with eight home runs and 42 runs-batted-in.

LSU also had the inside track on Skenes, who also was a catcher at Air Force. But he preferred pitching to catching. And the Tigers had an opening for someone to lead off their rotation. He qualified.

For that, LSU can be forever grateful. Skenes was virtually unhittable in nonconference play leading up to the Tigers’ opening SEC series. He posted a 0.75 ERA while striking out 48 batters in his first 24 innings.

SEC hitters also have had little success against Skenes, whose fastball has been clocked at 101 miles per hour. He's 5-0 with 59 strikeouts and only four walks in 30.1 innings. HIs earned-run average has dropped to a stunning 0.59.

Tennessee could have used a pitcher as dominant as that, even though it already had the nation’s premier three-man starting rotation in Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam. All eventually could be high-round MLB draft picks. Skenes, like Dollander, is a surefire high No. 1 pick in this summer’s draft.

But White might have been an even more valuable addition to Tennessee. The Vols are loaded with left-handed hitters, and White would have given them a power hitter from the right side.

Now, they will face the challenge of trying to get him out.

But no matter how this series goes, the teams again will be competing against each other this summer when the transfer portal opens for business.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball vs LSU SEC showdown could be decided by transfers