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NEWS RELEASE

Tennessee baseball was well-represented on Day 1 of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft with three players selected during the first two rounds on Sunday night, including a pair of first-round selections.

The Vols’ three selections were tied with Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon State for the most through the first two rounds among all college programs. That number also tied the most picks in the opening two rounds of a single draft in program history (1971, 2005, 2007).

Drew Gilbert became the highest drafted position player during the Tony Vitello era (2018-pres.), going No. 28 overall to the Houston Astros. He is the first Vol position player to be selected in the first round since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall to Cincinnati in 2016 and was the second first rounder under Vitello, joining pitcher Garrett Crochet (2020).Jordan Beck was the next Vol off the board, going to the Colorado Rockies with the No. 38 overall pick in first round (Competitive Balance Round A), giving the Big Orange multiple first-round picks for the first time since 2007 when three Tennessee players were selected in the opening round (J.P. Arencibia, Julio Borbón, James Adkins).

Gilbert and Beck became the 17th and 18th UT players taken in the first round, giving the Vols 20 total first-round selections in program history.

Blade Tidwell rounded out Tennessee’s big night, being selected in the second round with the No. 52 overall pick by the New York Mets. The talented right hander is the second-highest drafted pitcher under Vitello and his staff and the eighth pitcher selected overall during Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson’s tenure at UT.