Tennessee baseball shortstop Ariel Antigua will be out for several weeks due to a hand injury.

A UT representative informed Knox News that Tennessee baseball shortstop Ariel Antigua will be out for the Vols’ season opener due to injury.

The highly anticipated rookie will probably be out for several weeks due to a hand injury. The Vols play their season opener in the Arlington, Texas, Shriners Children’s Showdown on February 16–18.

In late January, Antigua’s coach Tony Vitello identified him as a “leading candidate” among the shortstop options “based off what teammates and other coaches” stated.

Shortstop The junior college addition Alex Perry is also dealing with a hamstring problem.

Who will be Tennessee Baseball’s starting shortstop?
With junior Christian Moore, Antigua, who stands five feet eight inches and weighs 180 pounds, was one of the main choices at shortstop. Moore, a third-team All-American in the preseason, started the previous season at second base for the Vols and is capable of playing there once more. As a sophomore, Moore batted.304 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI.

The 6-foot-3 freshman Dean Curley is another excellent contender for shortstop. A highly anticipated signing from California, he was ranked No. 129 in the country by Perfect Game.

“It’s great to have options,” Vitello said on Jan. 24. “I don’t think anyone has really separated themselves. The one thing we got out in the fall was (Moore) established that he can play that position.”

Along with Curley and Moore, Tennessee also has junior college additions Bradke Lohry and Perry as shortstop options. Lohry also can play second base.

What Tony Vitello has said about Ariel Antigua

Antigua signed with UT as the No. 137 prospect in the nation out of Lake Worth, Florida. He impressed with his bat during fall baseball while working into the shortstop mix.

Vitello lauded Antigua’s work ethic, saying the freshman approaches his business like a pro but also has a lot of improvement to make. Vitello pointed at the need for consistency at the plate and learning how to play infield well as focal points.

“He can make or even hit to the point where it’s a ‘SportsCenter’-type effort,” Vitello said in November. “But what we need out of him is the consistency day in and day out.”