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Drew Beam Rakes SEC Awards After Complete Game Shutout

Drew Beam receives double SEC recognition after his CGSO against Vanderbilt.
Jack Foster|
Drew Beam Rakes SEC Awards After Complete Game Shutout
Drew Beam Rakes SEC Awards After Complete Game Shutout

No. 1 Tennessee Vols freshman RHP Drew Beam has won SEC Pitcher of the Week and SEC Freshman of the Week after his Sunday performance against No. 9 Vanderbilt, the league announced on Monday. 

Beam threw a complete game 5-0 shutout against the Commodores to guide the Vols to a series sweep, their first against the in-state rival since 2009. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native is the first Volunteer arm to throw a complete game since Garrett Stallings in 2019 when the Orange and White shut out Ole Miss 7-0.

The freshman delivered six strikeouts and 73 strikes on 110 total pitches, allowed only two hits and retired 26 of 28 batters faced in the Sunday victory over the Commodores. 

Beam has continued to produce at a high level for Tennessee as the day three pitcher, resting at a 0.88 ERA through seven starts, which is the fourth-best in the NCAA. The freshman holds a 6-0 record heading into the fourth SEC weekend of the season. 

Of the top ten pitchers in ERA in the NCAA, Beam is the only one to have pitched more than 40 innings (41.0). 

Beam has assisted the Vols in accomplishing a Tony Vitello-era best six series sweeps this season, as UT has swept every true weekend series opponent. 

"When we recruited him, we saw a guy who is a good athlete, good kid, loves the Vols, three-pitch mix, durable body," Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said on Drew Beam. "So, we knew he had all the makings of a weekend starter at some point, but some guys make their own timeline. Like Chase Burns, he's got a great work ethic and a different presence about him than your average freshman."

Beam rounds out an elite Tennessee weekend rotation, as Chase Burns and Chase Dollander are averaging a combined a 1.95 ERA on the season in a combined 77.1 innings pitched and 11-0 record. 

Tennessee baseball was the clear No. 1 team in the country following their series sweep against (then) No. 1 Ole Miss, and they unsurprisingly remain atop the polls after sweeping Vanderbilt. 

Up next for the BaseVols and Beam is a midweek battle with Lipscomb followed by a weekend series against Tony Vitello's alma mater Missouri in Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Tennessee enters the week with a 27-1 (9-0 SEC) record, with their 9-0 conference play record marking the best SEC start in program history and best by an SEC team since Florida in 1994. 

The Vols also enter the week on a 19-game winning streak, the longest in school history. 

Below are all the weekly SEC honors Tennessee baseball players have received this season. 

Information courtesy Tennessee Athletics Communications 

SEC Player of the Week
INF Trey Lipscomb – Feb. 28

SEC Pitcher of the Week
RHP Drew Beam – April 4
RHP Chase Dollander – March 28

SEC Freshman of the Week
RHP Drew Beam – March 21 & April 4
RHP Chase Burns – March 28
OF/C Jared Dickey – Feb. 28 & March 14

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Jack Foster
JACK FOSTER

Jack is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Journalism/Electronic Media. Jack grew up in Paris, Tennessee, but now spends the majority of his time in Knoxville doubling as a student and sports journalist for Volunteer Country. Jack has been a sports junkie since he was a young kid and always watched NFL football with his dad on Sundays. Jack still follows the NFL religiously, as he is an avid fantasy football player. Jack started with Volunteer Country in May of 2021 and has since helped provide full coverage of football, baseball and men's and women's basketball. Jack also works as a recurring member of WUTK's Rock Solid Sports show on Wednesdays and Fridays, and he also serves as head sports producer of The Volunteer Channel's Vol News, a student-run show at the University. When Jack is not watching or covering sports, find him on the golf course or back home spending time with his parents, younger sister and friends. Follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram by clicking "Twitter" and "Instagram" to see all of his work with Volunteer Country as well as student media.

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