Why Everyone Should Be Excited about Billy Amick
The Tennessee baseball team got a lot of transfers in the portal this offseason. One of the big splashes was Clemson first baseman Billy Amick. Amick was a wizard at the plate for the Tigers in 2023. He was the ACC's best hitter with a .413 average in 167 at-bats. It was not like Amick was a strikeout victim often either. He struck out in just 19% of the at-bats and had an OBP of .464.
He also had good power in his bat with a .772 slugging percentage and 13 home runs last year. He was a catalyst for a Clemson lineup and team that eventually fell to the Vols in their own regional they hosted. In the three regional games the Tigers played in, Amick went 3-9 with 5 RBI. All five runs batted in came against Lipscomb in a 12-5 win which was the only one of the regional for Clemson. One of the tricky parts of Vitello's job this offseason will be evaluating where each of the players will fit in the lineup and the field.
The Vols may play Amick at different positions around the infield as Blake Burke already resides at first base. It also depends on where manager Tony Vitello plays Christian Moore and Zane Denton. Another possibility is that he can be the replacement at the designated hitter spot for Griffin Merritt. This would allow him to hone in even more on his hitting ability throughout the season.
The Vols lineup looks to be dangerous with Amick mixed into it and his ACC-leading stats from 2023 can certainly help him not just be a gear in the Tennessee baseball machine, he can be the driver of it. Amick's play from last season shows just the potential he has to make Tennessee a title contender for the 2024 season.
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