Vols land pitcher Nate Snead from Wichita State
The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away. Fortunately for the Vols, the portal gave the Vols something very big on Wednesday. Nate Snead, a right-handed pitcher from Wichita State, chose the Vols over Arkansas after a recent visit to Knoxville. Snead will, at minimum, help to fill the large void created when […]
The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away. Fortunately for the Vols, the portal gave the Vols something very big on Wednesday.
Nate Snead, a right-handed pitcher from Wichita State, chose the Vols over Arkansas after a recent visit to Knoxville.
Snead will, at minimum, help to fill the large void created when pitcher Chase Burns announced this week that he's entering the transfer portal.
The 6'2", 200-pound righty posted a 3.16 ERA over 42.2 innings last season. He allowed 37 hits over that span and struck out 53. Oh, yeah, and his fastball hits 100 mph. So the continuation of triple-digit gas out of the bullpen appears to continue, from Ben Joyce to Chase Burns to Snead.
The news couldn't have come at a much better time for Tony Vitello. In addition to Burns' departure, Camden Sewell's eligibility is gone, and Chase Dollander, Seth Halvorsen, and Andrew Lindsey all could potentially get selected in the upcoming MLB Draft high enough that they would move on to professional careers. That's obviously a lot of proven talent that could be gone quickly.
But, as we've already seen this week, where there is an opportunity due to departure, there are still plenty of talented players from around the country vying to join what Vitello is building in Knoxville. NC State catcher Cannon Peebles committed to UT this week and Jacksonville State pitcher AJ Causey pulled the trigger on the Vols a few days before. Both should be key parts of the team next season.
With these kinds of moves this quickly, Tennessee looks like they'll be just fine.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK