A small school pitcher from Tennessee's backyard is a logical candidate to go from beating the Vols to potentially joining them in 2026
The Tennessee Volunteers had an up and down season in 2025, and one of those surprising downs came at the hands of nearby foe ETSU. The Buccaneers defeated the Vols back in March 7-6 in extra innings in one of the biggest surprises of the young college baseball season. One of the participants in that […]
The Tennessee Volunteers had an up and down season in 2025, and one of those surprising downs came at the hands of nearby foe ETSU. The Buccaneers defeated the Vols back in March 7-6 in extra innings in one of the biggest surprises of the young college baseball season.
One of the participants in that game is now on the move. East Tennessee State relief pitcher Brady Frederick is now in the transfer portal, per Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball.
Frederick took the mound in the Bucs' win inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium, going 3.2 innings with 2 runs allowed – but also with 4 strikeouts.
The ETSU right hander had quite the season for the Bucs, who made it to the Nashville/Vanderbilt regional before bowing out. He earned a litany of awards in 2025, namely the SoCon Pitcher of the Year, SoCon All-Tournament Team, and First-Team All SoCon. He threw 77.2 innings, posting a 2.67 ERA with 76 strikeouts to just 19 walks.
Another reason Frederick is logical for the Vols is that he's from Knoxville. He starred in high school for Bearden before making the trip up I-40/81 to Johnson City. As such, it's logical that he might consider coming back home if Tony Vitello had a spot for him.
We'll find out in the coming days if Frederick, who has three years of eligibility remaining, will continue his playing career in Knoxville, where Vitello has already started collecting some impressive arms for 2026.
Key Tennessee player that still has eligibility remaining appears to say goodbye on social media after Vols’ loss to Arkansas
It seems as though one player will be moving on with his career
