Tennessee baseball lands commitment from coveted Kansas transfer Maui Ahuna
The Super Regional doesn’t start until Friday night, but Tennessee baseball picked up a victory less than 10 hours before first pitch.
Maui Ahuna, a transfer infielder from Kansas, announced his commitment to Tony Vitello and the Volunteers via Twitter Friday morning. Ahuna spent the last two years with the Jayhawks before entering the transfer portal following the season.
Ahuna also has some MLB Amateur Draft chatter following him to Knoxville, as well. He was ranked as the No. 32 shortstop in the nation by D1Baseball and is the publication’s No. 36 draft prospect for the 2023 draft.
On the field, Ahuna was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection this year and was named to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team. He hit for a .396 average with eight home runs and 48 RBI as Kansas went 20-35 overall, including 4-20 in Big 12 play, this season. The Jayhawks’ season ended May 21 when Texas swept a three-game series. Baseball America also ranked him as the No. 4 2023 MLB Draft prospect in the Big 12.
Now, Ahuna is getting ready to join an impressive Tennessee roster next season. The Volunteers are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament this year and are getting ready to take on Notre Dame in the Knoxville Super Regional this weekend. Tennessee has been a force all year en route to a 56-7 overall record and a 25-5 record in SEC play.
That roster allowed Tennessee to host back-to-back rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and Vitello talked about that ahead of the series against Notre Dame. He said the biggest advantage is having Vols fans in attendance to make Lindsey Nelson Stadium a raucous environment as they try to advance to the College World Series field.
The excitement is building in Knoxville ahead of the game, and Ahuna’s commitment helps build even more hype for the future of Tennessee baseball.