On Monday, big recruiting news hit college baseball as a big-time high school prospect flipped his commitment between Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools.
Trent Grindlinger, a catcher from Huntington Beach, Calif., flipped his commitment from Mississippi State to Tennessee. He made the announcement on his Instagram account.
He is a top 30 player in the 2025 class and the second-ranked catcher in the country according to Perfect Game.
Baseball America has Grindlinger just outside of their top 100 MLB Draft prospects (ranked 101st).
Grindlinger decommitted from Mississippi State once news broke that the former head coach, Chris Lemonis, had been let go.
The big-time catching prospect called Tennessee his dream school in a comment he made to GoVols247.
“I talked to my parents, and we thought it was best for me to just open up our recruiting process,” Grindlinger said. “Tennessee has been my dream school since I was in eighth grade. Love watching them play. Obviously, they’ve had a ton of success in the past and recently. So, it was a no doubter for me.”
The California native is joining a loaded recruiting class that Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello has put together. In Perfect Game’s 2025 team recruiting rankings, the Volunteers’ class ranks second in the country now with eight top 100 prospects.
Only the LSU Tigers have a better recruiting class with 12 top 100 commits.
Despite being a risk to leave for the professional level in the MLB draft, Tennessee could be getting yet another big talent for next season in Grindlinger.
Photo: Tony Vitello is the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers (AP Photo)
