Former Tennessee infielder Zane Denton committed to Austin Peay on Saturday just two days after entering the transfer portal following his year off from baseball.
Let’s get to work🤝 @GovsBSB pic.twitter.com/uVHLdhVObM
— Zane Denton (@ZaneDenton3) June 8, 2024
Denton played just one season for the Vols, transferring from Alabama to Tennessee ahead of the 2023 season. Starting at third base for Tennessee, Denton hit .269 with 16 home runs, 25 extra-base hits and a team-high 59 runs batted in.
Starting at third base, Denton was a clutch star on the Vols’ path to the College World Series. Tennessee was down to its last strike against Clemson before Denton’s three-run homer propelled Tennessee ahead. Leading by one-run in game three of the Hattiesburg Super Regional, Denton hit another three-run homer which gave the Vols the breathing room needed to punch its ticket to Omaha for the second time in three seasons.
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Denton originally announced plans to return to Tennessee for his super senior season after going unselected in the 2023 MLB Draft. But Denton ended up taking the fall off due to personal reasons and while he returned to Knoxville and had conversations with Tony Vitello in the winter, he never returned to the roster.
A Brentwood, Tennessee native, Denton is staying in the mid-state but moving north to Clarksville to play at Austin Peay.
The Governors are coming off a fantastic season that saw them go 35-21 (20-10 ASun) and win the Ohio Valley Conference regular season. Austin Peay had a disappointing conference tournament, losing its first two games Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.
Austin Peay had one of the nation’s best offenses a season ago and adding Denton to the roster will only help the Governors roster. The third baseman has one year of eligibility remaining.
