A Look at Tennessee’s Back-to-Back Number One Ranked Recruiting Classes

With the 2025 college baseball recruiting cycle wrapped up, the Tennessee Volunteers once again appeared on top of Perfect Game’s rankings. 

It is the second straight cycle that Tennessee has brought in the number one recruiting class.  

Here is a look at the big names the Volunteers brought into Knoxville from the 2024 and 2025 classes.  

Please Note: These are the top names that made it through the MLB Draft and are playing/will be playing for Tennessee.

Tennessee’s 2024 Recruiting Class 

Name	Position	Perfect Game National Ranking	Hometown
Anson Seibert	RHP	No. 35	Overland Park, Kan.
Levi Clark	UTL	No. 36	Marietta, Ga.
Tegan Kuhns	RHP	No. 45	Gettysburg, Pa.
Jay Abernathy	OF/INF	No. 61	Acworth, Ga.
Brayden Krenzel	RHP	No. 81	Dublin, Ohio

Manny Marin

INF

No. 88

Hialeah, Fla.

How Tennessee’s 2024 Recruiting Class has Panned Out so Far

In 2024, the Tennessee Volunteers brought in seven top 100 recruits, which led to the best recruiting class in the country. Many of these players were contributors to last season’s team that went all the way to the Fayetteville super regional in the NCAA Tournament.

Levi Clark was a big contributor to Tennessee’s 2025 team with his bat. He had a .289 batting average in his freshman season with 10 home runs and 34 RBI.  

Jay Abernathy and Manny Marin also made contributions to last season’s team. Abernathy had a .282 batting average. Meanwhile, Manny Marin had a .283 batting average. Both Abernathy and Marin combined for 34 RBI.  

Brayden Krenzel pitched 32 2/3 innings for Tennessee last year, had a 4.68 ERA, and 41 strikeouts. The righty got credited for three wins during his freshman year against Alabama, South Carolina, and Wake Forest in what was an NCAA Tournament game.  

Tegan Kuhns also pitched for Tennessee last season. In 36 2/3 innings, he had 40 strikeouts compared to just 16 walks. In his 15 appearances, he started in 10 games.  

Anson Seibert will be a redshirt freshman heading into the 2026 season. He underwent an elbow procedure in early September that will sideline him during Tennessee’s fall practices.  

At 6-foot-8, he is a towering pitching prospect.  

The 2024 Tennessee recruiting class is full of players who were key players in 2025. They are set to be key players once again for the 2026 season. 

Tennessee’s 2025 Recruiting Class

Name	Position	Perfect Game National Ranking	Hometown
Cameron Appenzeller	LHP	No. 22	Springfield, Ill.
Trent Grindlinger	C	No. 30	Huntington Beach, Calif.
Taylor Tracey	OF	No. 89	Austin, Texas
Ethan Baiotto	RHP	No. 93	Southlake, Texas
Ethan Moore	SS	No. 94	River Forest, Ill.
Nathan Eisfelder	OF	No. 100	Jonesborough, Tenn.

Tennessee’s Talented Group of Incoming Freshmen, A Look at the 2026 and 2027 Recruiting Classes

The Volunteers’ 2025 recruiting class features six top 100 players arriving in Knoxville. This is the most top 100 prospects recruited by any school.  

These six top 100 prospects do not include three other top 20 players taken in the 2025 MLB Draft. Billy Carlson (No. 3 in the 2025 class), Kruz Schoolcraft (No. 9 in the 2025 class), and Steele Hall (No. 17 in the 2025) were all also committed to play for Tennessee before being drafted.  

Incoming freshmen Cameron Appenzeller and Ethan Moore were also selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, but chose to play a college career in Knoxville instead.

The Volunteers’ 2026 recruiting class currently ranks fourth in the country according to Perfect Game. Their 2027 recruiting class ranks third in the country as well.  

Between those two recruiting classes, Tennessee has 14 top 100 prospects committed to play in Knoxville.  

Head coach Tony Vitello has been at the top of the college baseball world when it comes to recruiting for the past two seasons. It looks as if that will continue into the future. 

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NCAA News: /news/category/ncaa

 

PHOTO: Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, center, celebrates with his team following their victory over Texas A&M in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Monday, June 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)