Chris Newstrom is not with Tennessee baseball for its series at Mississippi State.
A Tennessee spokesperson told Volquest that the sophomore did not make the trip due to an internal matter. His absence is not expected to be long term.
Newstrom is hitting .180 in 26 games with 15 starts. He is 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in SEC play in six games with two starts.
Tennessee (21-12, 4-8 SEC) faces the No. 9 Bulldogs (26-7, 7-5) in a three-game series starting Friday (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) in Starkville, Mississippi State.
The Arizona native had a slow start to the season before a torrid week that included Tennessee’s three-game run in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. He slumped afterward and has not been involved in the lineup often in SEC play.
“We’ve met a few times now up in the office and we all feel the same way,” Vols coach Josh Elander said on March 24 following UT’s game against USC Upstate. “We’re not getting the results that we want. At this point, we’re continuing to go through the process and make sure that he’s doing the work that he needs each day to continue to get better because he’s extremely talented.”
Newstrom has not started a game since March 22 against Missouri. He played as a defensive replacement during Tennessee’s win Saturday against LSU.
He hasn’t had a hit since March 3 against ETSU when he had a two-hit game. He is 0-for-18 since that performance.
“We even talked about up in the office, just kind of hitting the reset button,” Elander said on March 24. “There’s plenty of year left. You’re 50 at-bats in, but there’s plenty ABs left. The competition within the team, that’s going to continue to be a theme. With how talented he is, he’s going to continue to get opportunities.”