Tennessee Baseball Third Baseman Billy Amick Dealing With Appendix Injury

Tennessee baseball star third baseman Billy Amick is set to miss time with an appendix injury, a UT spokesperson confirmed to RTI on Tuesday. GoVols247’s Ben McKee was first to report the news on Tuesday morning.

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello initially mentioned a potential absence for Amick on Monday night’s Vol Calls, indicating that Amick was dealing with ‘something’ and that he may miss a game or two.

Amick is officially OUT for Tennessee’s Tuesday night midweek matchup against Tennessee Tech, and his status for the Vols’ upcoming home series against Georgia is up in the air.

Amick, a junior transfer from Clemson, has been one of Tennessee’s best players so far this season. The 6-foot-1 slugger is tied for the team lead with 10 home runs and is slugging .789, which ranks second on the team.

Amick is tied for second on the team in RBI with 26, four behind leader Dylan Dreiling (30), and is third on the team in batting average (.367).

More From RTI: VFL Jordan Beck Awarded Rockies Spring Training MVP

So where will Tennessee turn without their star third baseman? The most likely option is for standout freshman shortstop Dean Curley to slide over to third and Ariel Antigua to start at short.

Like Curley, Antigua is a freshman, but he was sidelined for all of non-conference play with a thumb injury. Antigua is now a full-go moving forward according to Vitello, and should be expected to see an increased role due to Amick’s injury.

Curley burst on to the scene this season and has been one of Tennessee’s best long ball hitters. The La Verne, California native is hitting .302 at the plate with eight home runs and 26 RBI on 19 hits. Additionally, Curley ranks fourth on the team in slugging percentage.

Antigua got his first at-bat in Tennessee’s midweek win over Xavier last week, and it was a fly out to the warning track in center field. Antigua’s glove is what allowed him to standout in fall ball and the preseason, but his bat has some pop, too.

The Vols will aim to snap a two-game losing streak to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday. First pitch is at 6 p.m. ET inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.