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The Tennessee Volunteers were handed a massive setback just hours before the 2023 season when Maui Ahuna was considered ineligible until further notice by the NCAA.
According to reports, the NCAA prevented Ahuna from gaining eligibility which caused a stir among the Tennessee faithful.
It was later claimed that the violation was Ahuna's trip to the Tennessee campus which was approved even before the school received his Kansas transcript. Kansas revealed that it complied with all requests related to the shortstop.
Ahuna was eventually granted eligibility to play for the Volunteers on Feb. 23, just over a week after the 2023 season began.
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Amid the saga, even Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello was given a suspension for three games. Reports claimed that the coach made improper contact with Ahuna while trying to recruit him at Tennessee. Josh Elander was in charge of the team during Vitello's ban, which importantly wasn't given by the NCAA.
When Ahuna made his debut for the Volunteers, Vitello revealed that the youngster handled the uncertainty like a champ. The coach also admitted that he made a mistake and took full responsibility for his actions.
Tennessee has done extremely well to move on from the controversy and they finished the 2023 regular season with an impressive 57-9 record. They will now shift their focus to the College World Series after beating Southern Miss to clinch the Hattiesburg Super Regional.
Maui Ahuna stats in the 2023 season
Maui Ahuna is enjoying a stellar season with the Tennessee Volunteers in 2023. The shortstop has racked up 58 hits and eight home runs in 192 at-bats at a .302 average.
Ahuna has played a key role in helping Tennessee to the College World Series thus far. The team will be relying on him to deliver the goods once again when it faces LSU in a crunch series.
Interestingly, Ahuna's exceptional outings this season have led to fans believing that he will be picked in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
