Tennessee baseball set an NCAA baseball record Wednesday in Omaha when Blake Burke hammered a monstrous solo homer to right-center at Charles Schwab Field.
Burke’s home run marked his 20th of the year, and he became the fifth Vol to mash 20 homers this season. No team has ever had five players hit 20 or more home runs in a single-season.
The only other team to have four hit 20 or more in a season is the 1997 Alabama team. Kavares Tears became the fourth Vol to hit 20 bombs Sunday night when he hit a three-run home run against North Carolina.
Below are the five Vols to hit 20+ home runs this season.
- Christian Moore (33)
- Billy Amick (23)
- Dylan Dreiling (20)
- Kavares Tears (20)
- Blake Burke (20)
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Breaks Program Wins Record to Go to College World Series Finals
Tennessee’s power numbers are simply absurd this season. The Vols have already broken the single-season program home record by 20 homers, as they’ve hit 178. The 2022 team hit 158 to break the previous record of 107 set in 1998.
Moore’s total of 33 long balls is also the single-season program record by nine. Additionally, the Vols are just 11 home runs away from breaking the NCAA single-season record (LSU (188) – 1997). Granted, with only three possible games remaining in the season, Tennessee breaking that record is highly unlikely, but not impossible. The Vols would have to average just under four long balls per game.
Tennessee’s five 20-homer sluggers have led the way on the best offense in the nation this year, but they haven’t done it alone. Shortstop Dean Curley (12), outfielder Hunter Ensley (11) and catcher Cal Stark (10) have also all hit double-digit dingers.
Burke’s homer on Wednesday was the icing on the cake in Tennessee’s 7-2 win over Florida State to clinch a spot in the College World Series Finals. The Vols’ dangerous offense will look to keep it rolling this weekend in Omaha against either Florida or Texas A&M. First pitch on Saturday night in game one of the CWS Finals is at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
