Skip to main content
tennessee logo

Former Vol Chase Dollander earns win in MLB debut

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•about 18 hours•

_Cainer

Chase Dollander. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Chase Dollander. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Making his Major League debut on Sunday for the Colorado Rockies, former Tennessee ace Chase Dollander earned the win his first time out, tossing five innings of four-run baseball.

The righty fanned six, walked one and gave up seven hits across 79 pitches (49 strikes). His four-seam fastball velocity averaged 97.8 and topped at 99.3 miles per hour. Dollander owned a 62 percent strike rate in his first big league outing.

He received the callup Friday afternoon and was in Denver shortly thereafter. His start on Sunday was instrumental in Denver’s 12-5 victory over the Athletics, a win that halted the club’s six-game losing skid.

Dollander is the club’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 24 overall prospect in baseball. In 2024, the former Tennessee headliner made a combined 23 starts between A+ and AA with a 2.59 ERA in 118.0 innings pitched with 169 strikeouts to only 47 walks.

His lone AAA start prior to the callup was this last Sunday when Dollander tossed four innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts.  

The righty was selected in the first round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies at No. 9 overall. Dollander became the highest-drafted Tennessee pitcher since Luke Hochevar went No. 1 overall to the Kansas City Royals in 2006.

It’s worth noting, Hochevar’s final season in the Orange & White was in 2005 when he was then selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers at 40th overall. The two sides couldn’t come to a contractual agreement and Hochevar pitched Independent League ball in 2006 before entering the draft again.  

Garrett Crochet was selected by the Chicago White Sox just a few slots behind Dollander at No. 11 in the 2020 MLB Draft. Dollander was the highest Tennessee selection since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall to the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 at the time. Christian Moore overtook the honor just a cycle later when the former Tennessee second baseman was selected by the Los Angeles Angels at No. 8 overall.

Dollander joined former Vols Jordan Beck and Seth Halvorsen on the Rockies big league roster on Friday. The pitcher became the fifth Tennessee player from the 2022 squad to reach the majors as Dollander joined Ben Joyce and Trey Lipscomb to go along with Beck and Halvorsen.

Overall, Dollander became the seventh Vol to reach the majors under Tony Vitello’s reign with the Vols.

You may also like