Tennessee utility man Alex Perry is stepping away from the Vol baseball program due to a personal matter, GoVols247’s Ben McKee first reported and a pair of sources confirmed to RTI on Monday night.
Perry was entering his second year in the Tennessee baseball program after transferring in from Pearl River Community College ahead of the 2024 season.
A 6-foot-4 utility man, Perry was a top contender to start at first base for Tennessee in 2025. Perry came to Tennessee as a middle infielder but spent most of the fall playing first base and looking to replace All-SEC first baseman Blake Burke from last season’s National Championship squad.
Perry hit .286 with three RBIs in just 10 plate appearances during the 2024 season but was on the Vols’ active roster throughout the season and in Omaha. The Mississippi native had a strong fall practice for Tennessee baseball and was one of, if not the, leading contender to open the season as the Vols’ starting first baseman.
What are Tennessee’s options at first base with Perry out of the picture. Utility man Dalton Bargo was Perry’s top competition to start at first base. Like Perry, Bargo has little first base experience but is a good athlete and worked there for much of the fall before a finger injury cut his fall practice short.
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Freshman catcher Levi Clark had a strong fall and his bat will give him opportunities early this season to earn a role. With a pair of catchers ahead of him in the pecking order, Clark spent time working at first base during fall practice. The same is the case for redshirt freshman Stone Lawless who will make an impact for Tennessee at some spot this season.
Perry is a senior but will now technically redshirt while being away from the program. He could potentially return in 2026 but that possibility is extremely uncertain.
The Vols lost an abundance of key players from last season’s title team including Christian Moore, Blake Burke, Billy Amick, Dylan Dreiling and Kavares Tears at the plate. On the mound, Tennessee lost key arms including Drew Beam, Zander Sechrist, Kirby Connell, Aaron Combs and AJ Causey.
Still, expectations are high for the 2025 Vols. Tennessee returns a handful of key players including Hunter Ensley and Dean Curley at the plate as well as Nate Snead and Dylan Loy on the mound.
Combine the returning proven Vols with young players who have flashed potential and one of the nation’s top ranked recruiting and transfer classes and Tennessee has no shortage of talent.
Most notably, Tennessee landed Ole Miss stars Liam Doyle and Andrew Fischer as well as Louisville infielder Gavin Kilen in the portal. Talented freshmen Jay Abernathy, Tegan Kuhns and Levi Clark are looking to push for roles as well.
