Tennessee Vols baseball lands a commitment from a small school standout with huge numbers

Tony Vitello and the Tennessee Vols got some very encouraging news on Monday afternoon regarding the prospects of their 2025 season.

Former Niagara first baseman/outfielder Eric Rataczak announced his commitment to the Tennessee Vols.

Rataczak just had one of the greatest seasons in Niagara history .  He led the MAAC in batting average (.396), on base percentage (.485), OPS (1.183), and RBI (71).  His batting average was 17th out of all hitters in college baseball.  He had on base streaks of 19 and 26 games in 2024.

While the news is good as far as a commitment, it remains to be seen if Rataczak will ultimately end up in Knoxville.  That's because Rataczak could see his name called early enough in the Major League Baseball Draft this summer to decide that he wants to go ahead and pursue his professional career now.

Still, it can't hurt to get the commitment of an impact bat, one that hopefully for Tennessee fans ends up in Knoxville.  The best players want to play with the best, and transfer portal targets such as Ole Miss third baseman Andrew Fischer and Florida pitcher Cade Fisher surely can't hate seeing the Vols landing top players in the portal.  The Vols have already secured the commitment of Louisville infielder Gavin Kilen , one of the top players available.

We'll see what happens with the draft, but it's certainly been a very strong start to the Tennessee Vols' offseason so far.

Related: Former Tennessee Vols hurler becomes first MLB starting pitcher in 123 years to reach incredible feat