Tennessee 3B Zane Denton Returning To Rocky Top
On Saturday, Tennessee Volunteers third baseman Zane Denton announced that he would return to Rocky Top to play baseball next season. In a post with the caption, he announced via his Instagram, "Let's try this thing one last time. #yeartwo." After playing three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Denton transferred to Knoxville before the 2023 season from Alabama. Denton had a career .279 batting average while in Tuscaloosa.
In 2023, the infielder came alive for the Vols, especially late in the season. Over the entire year, Denton finished with a .269 batting average with a slugging percentage of .566. He also had a very impressive on-base percentage of .403 which resulted from 46 walks in 212 at-bats. His ability to be patient at the plate was an underrated quality, as his walk total was the second-best on the team, only behind Christian Moore. Denton also had 59 RBI and 16 home runs. He led the team in RBI and was one of Tennessee's best home run hitters. The long balls would become parts of some signature moments for Denton last season.
Tennessee 3B Zane Denton in the field during the NCAA Tournament against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on June 11, 2023. (Photo by Brianna Paciorka of the News Sentinel)
In particular, the moments would come during the NCAA regional in Clemson, where his game against the Clemson Tigers would help extend Tennessee's season. He would go 2 for 4 with two home runs against Clemson in a game that would go 14 innings. But, his efforts helped the Volunteers get the win 6-5. Once the Vols were fighting for an Omaha berth in the super regional round against Southern Miss. Denton would turn on hero mode again with a three-run homer in the fifth inning of game three in Hattiesburg. The long ball would extend Tennessee's lead to 4-0 over the Golden Eagles and would help Tennessee get to a 5-0 win. It would also help the Vols get to Omaha for the sixth time in school history. Denton came into his own in his first year on Rocky Top. He was one of the best hitters for Tennessee last season and will look to be one of the best players at the plate again in 2024.
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