Vols Chase Burns Named National Freshman Pitcher of the Year

(utsports.com) DALLAS – Tennessee’s Chase Burns was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Freshman Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday after an incredible debut season on Rocky Top.

Burns was UT’s Friday night starter for the majority of the year and helped lead the Volunteers to one of the best seasons in program history.

The Gallatin, Tennessee, native was a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy and was named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, becoming the first UT freshman pitcher to earn All-America honors since R.A. Dickey in 1994. He was also named to the NCBWA Freshman All-America first team and was a second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team selection.

This marks the second national freshman of the year honor Burns, who was also named the Collegiate Baseball Co-Freshman National Player of the Year earlier this month, sharing the honor with NC State’s Tommy White. Burns is just the second Vol to ever win national freshman of the year honors, joining Dickey, who garnered that same recognition from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball in 1994.

Burns is also the first UT player to earn a national player of the year honor of any kind since Luke Hochevar won the Roger Clemens Award in 2005.

Burns finished the year with an 8-2 record and a 2.91 ERA over 17 appearances (14 starts). He also racked up 103 strikeouts in 80.1 innings of work while allowing just 25 walks and holding opposing hitters to a .216 batting average. His 2.91 ERA is the fifth lowest by a freshman in program history while 103 punchouts rank third and his eight wins are tied for fifth most by a Vol freshman.