Why Tennessee Vols fans shouldn't be surprised that Chase Burns is transferring
Tennessee Vols right handed pitcher Chase Burns provided one of the most electric moments of the NCAA postseason earlier this month during UT's win against Southern Mississippi in the Super Regionals. Burns entered the game in the 7th inning with UT ahead 4-0 and proceeded to get the Vols out of a jam. The Tennessee […]
Tennessee Vols right handed pitcher Chase Burns provided one of the most electric moments of the NCAA postseason earlier this month during UT's win against Southern Mississippi in the Super Regionals.
Burns entered the game in the 7th inning with UT ahead 4-0 and proceeded to get the Vols out of a jam. The Tennessee native then let his emotions loose as he left the mound.
That scene will be one of the lasting images of Burns in a Tennessee uniform as it was reported on Tuesday morning that the talented right-hander is entering the NCAA transfer portal, ending nearly a week of speculation.
Vols head coach Tony Vitello confirmed the news on Tuesday morning during an appearance on WNML.
Burns' decision to transfer probably seems odd to fans after he settled into a role as a dominant reliever for the Vols.
But it really shouldn't be all that surprising. This has been boiling since Burns' struggles as a true freshman. And it continued this season as Burns was bumped out of the Friday night starter spot and eventually moved to the bullpen.
Burns might end up being a relief pitcher at the next level — it's far too early to know. For now, though, Burns wants to be a starter (he likely wants to be guaranteed a spot in a rotation).
Relief pitchers usually aren't first round picks. Burns knows he has the talent to be an early first round selection. But he'll probably need to start all season as a junior to have a chance to go that high. After the way things have gone at Tennessee the last two years, Burns probably doesn't feel like he'll get that in Knoxville (and that's not to criticize how Vitello handled Burns and the pitching staff — I think Vitello did what was best for the team and Burns accepted the role and excelled….but it's not what Burns wants moving forward).
This feels like a situation where Tennessee isn't necessarily going to make empty promises (Vitello can't predict right now what the rotation will look like next spring). And Burns simply wants to be in a different situation (again, likely because of his pro career).
Sometimes, things just don't work out the way fans want it to work out and it's not anyone's fault. This feels like one of those situations. Losing Burns certainly hurts, but the Vols will have other pitchers step up and they'll move forward as a program with the same goal as they had this past season — to win it all in Omaha.
Vols legend Peyton Manning gives his thoughts on Josh Heupel’s offense and Hendon Hooker
Tennessee Vols legend Peyton Manning recently appeared on "The Nation" with VolQuest's Austin Price and ESPN's Chris Low to discuss a variety of topics. One of the topics that came up, of course, was the current Tennessee football team. Manning made it clear to Price and Low that he thinks Josh Heupel is the right […]
Featured image via Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
