Two-sport Summertown standout Grayson Burleson is transferring to district rival Loretto for his senior year, Loretto basketball coach Greg Tipps confirmed Friday.
Burleson, a Vanderbilt baseball commitment, makes the move to the Class 2A state baseball champions with basketball season in mind too. Burleson was named to the TSWA Class 2A all-state basketball team.
"We are excited about having him and our players are looking forward to having him join our program," Tipps said.
Jason Burleson, Grayson's dad and baseball coach at Summertown, declined to comment on the transfer.
Burleson's addition to the Mustangs' dugout will make Loretto a strong favorite to repeat as Class 2A state champions in baseball.
Last season Burleson was one of the best pitchers in the area, being named to The Daily Herald's All-Columbia area first team for baseball and the TSWA Class 2A All-State team. He batted .352 with 23 RBIs, 10 doubles and three home runs and had 72 strikeouts in 55⅔ innings with a 1.13 ERA.
The Mustangs finished last season with a 30-6 record and went undefeated at the TSSAA state baseball tournament, winning the program's second state title. Loretto beat Summertown twice in the District 10-2A tournament and again won in the Region-5A championship game.
The two teams split their regular season matchups one win a piece.
Loretto is graduating Class 2A TBCA Mr. Baseball nominee Carter Daniel, who'll play baseball at Union in Jackson next season. Daniel was the Mustangs' ace, but made an impact in the field as well, a role Burleson will aim to fill after having played a similar role at Summertown.
Burleson will also provide an instant boost for the Mustangs' basketball team, coming off a season where he led Summertown to the Region 5-2A semifinals. Burleson averaged 22.3 points and 9.3 rebounds, finishing with 14 double-doubles and two 40-point games, being named to The Daily Herald's All-Columbia area first team for basketball.
Loretto is coming off of a 20-8 season, where it fell in the Region 5-2A semifinals. Loretto went 2-0 against Summertown in the regular season before losing 57-52 to the Eagles in the District 10-2A championship.
In order to be TSSAA eligible to participate in athletics at Loretto, Burleson will have to have a bona fide change of residence to within Loretto’s zone.
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports and more for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
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