Tennessee Baseball Sets NCAA and Program Records on Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Josh Greer | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 12:02 PM ET

Tennessee baseball’s championship pedigree took on new meaning during Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft. The reigning national champions didn’t just show up — they dominated, rewriting both school and NCAA history books in the process.

The Vols had seven players selected in the first two rounds, setting an NCAA record for the most players taken that early in a single draft. Even more impressively, four Tennessee players were selected in the first round, a new high-water mark for the program and the most of any school in this year’s class.

It didn’t stop there. By the end of the third round, Tennessee had eight players drafted, doubling the next-closest programs, including perennial powers like LSU, Arkansas, and Florida State, which had four each through three rounds.

This is what happens when elite talent, elite coaching, and a winning culture come together, said one MLB scout on site. Tennessee isn’t just a college baseball powerhouse anymore — they’re a pipeline to the pros.

Among the first-round selections were left-handed ace Liam Doyle, power-hitting infielder Andrew Fischer, dynamic second baseman Gavin Kilen, and veteran right-hander Marcus Phillips. Each had pivotal roles in Tennessee’s run to a national title and cemented their draft stock through clutch postseason play.

Phillips, once considered a fringe reliever, became a breakout Saturday starter in 2025. Fischer’s left-handed power swing and Kilen’s versatility turned heads all season. Doyle, the SEC Pitcher of the Year, was the Vols’ most dominant arm from start to finish.

Beyond the historic figures, this draft reflects a changing tide in college baseball. Tennessee’s ability to not only recruit talent but develop and elevate it to MLB-ready status places the program in rarefied air.

This level of draft-day success is usually reserved for SEC giants like Vanderbilt or Florida. Now, Tennessee has officially joined and surpassed that tier.

With Tony Vitello at the helm and a stacked recruiting pipeline already in motion, this may be just the beginning. The 2025 MLB Draft was a coronation of sorts — not just of a season, but of an era.

And if history is any indication, the Vols are far from finished.