Tennessee baseball second baseman Gavin Kilen has been named SEC Player of the Week after an incredible weekend in the Astros Foundation College Classic, the league announced Monday.
No doubt about this one!#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/MyWxQHbUTv
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) March 3, 2025
Kilen helped lead Tennessee to a 3-0 weekend in Houston, slashing .600/.625/1.600 with nine hits, four home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored.
Six of Kilen’s nine hits went for extra bases, and he also recorded a walk and stole a base.
The junior has been on an incredible stretch at the plate to start the season, but this past weekend sent his power numbers into another category.
Kilen mashed two home runs in each of Tennessee’s first two wins in Houston, bringing his season total to seven in just 11 games. The Louisville transfer is averaging .64 home runs per game. If he continues that pace, he would hit over 35 home runs in the 56-game regular season.
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While Kilen was expected to be a key piece for Tennessee offensively this season, the power numbers are a surprise. Kilen hit just nine home runs in his two-year Louisville career with all of them coming in his sophomore season. He hit zero home runs in 151 at-bats as a freshman.
Kilen figured to be a consistent hitter and high OBP guy towards the top of the lineup. Now, he is Tennessee’s top slugger three weekends into the season.
While Tennessee hasn’t faced SEC competition, UT has no longer played a soft schedule. The Vols battled two Preseason Top 25 teams in Preseason Big 12 favorite Oklahoma State and Arizona in Houston, beating both 5-2 and 5-1, respectively. Killen mashed two of his homers off Oklahoma State arms in Friday’s win.
Kilen accounts for seven of Tennessee’s 31 home runs. Tennessee hit 184 home runs in 73 games last season. If the 2025 Vols play 73 games, at this rate, they will hit 205 home runs.
Kilen and the red-hot Vols will aim to keep their undefeated season alive Tuesday in a midweek matchup against Radford. First pitch is at 6 p.m. ET (SECN+).
