Tanner Franklin is living out childhood dream with Tennessee baseball

HOUSTON — Tennessee right-handed bullpen arm Tanner Franklin hails from nearby Jefferson County. He grew up watching and rooting on the Vols. Now, he’s helping his favorite team win ballgames.

“I think it’s shocking every day,” the junior told Volquest this weekend in Houston. “I try to take every day just a day at a time and I don’t try to get ahead of myself. I just try to live in the present and it’s been awesome.”

No, this isn’t one of those feel-good stories where the big school takes the local kid to make people happy. Most of those kids don’t hit triple-digits on the radar gun. Instead, Franklin is a legitimate MLB Draft prospect with a bright future in the game.  

He began his collegiate career pitching at Kennesaw State before circling back to East Tennessee this past summer via the transfer portal. Now he’s working under a staff led by Tony Vitello and pioneered on the pitching side by Frank Anderson. In today’s college game, it doesn’t get much better than that.

“I think it’s exactly what I needed. I mean, they’re very calm, cool and collected,” the pitcher said of the Tennessee coaching staff. “They just keep it simple and that’s how I work. It’s been awesome every day working with them.”

Though we are just three weekends into the 2025 campaign, Franklin already has a defined role with his new club. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound hurler is scripted to follow starter Liam Doyle on Friday night for a multiple inning relief appearance.

Friday night sets the tone for the weekend and there needs to be a ‘dog’ on the mound, for a lack of a better word. It speaks volumes of what the coaching staff thinks of Franklin to have him play this big of a role so early on. It also shows how good he was leading up to the season.  

“His body changed completely,” Tony Vitello said of Franklin. “He’s throwing the ball real free and easy.”

That seems to be a theme going around the Tennessee program right now. Put in the work and take care of things off the field and watch the results turn in on the field. Franklin has done just that since signing with the Vols this summer and because of this, he’s throwing harder than he’s ever thrown.

“I would say getting in the weight room with Q [strength coach Quentin Eberhardt] and meeting with Beth [Schwartz] every week, our dietician,” the pitcher said of his fastball hitting 102 miles per hour on Friday. “Just getting with them and really putting in work and focusing on my body has helped me clean up a lot of mechanical issues.

“There’s been a lot of people on this team that’s changed their bodies and you’re seeing it a lot. Gavin Kilen has changed his body a lot and you see what he’s been doing. So, it’s amazing how you just put your head down and work.”

When asked if he’s ever been surrounded by so much talent on one team – especially within the pitching staff – all Franklin could do was laugh.

“Never. I never have in my entire life. And it’s fun being around guys that are very competitive and very gifted because every day is a challenge,” the pitcher said. “We’re going to push each other, motivate each other and [we] just want the best for our teammates.”

Over his first three appearances with Tennessee, the former Patriot has logged a 2.08 ERA over 8.2 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts to only one walk. The flame-thrower has given up only five hits, as opponents have registered a .161 average against him.

This past weekend in the Astros Foundation College Classic against Oklahoma State, the reliever pumped triple digits several occasions while stranding multiple runners in scoring position to escape jams.

“I’m comfortable with anything. Tell me [and] lets me do it,” the righty said of his role. “So, I’m willing to do whatever it takes for the team to win. That means coming out of the ‘pen for one pitch or 50 pitches. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m just going to try to get the job done.”

So far this season, Franklin has pitched in ballgames from Knoxville to Houston. His new program will take him on road trips to Tuscaloosa, Columbia (SC), Oxford, Baton Rouge, Fayetteville and Hoover before postseason play begins. If the past few years were any indication, Franklin could even be throwing in Omaha before it’s all said and done.

“I’ve never seen anything this big surrounding a baseball field,” Franklin said while standing on the warning track at Daikin Park Saturday afternoon. “It’s cool just seeing all the stands and all the fans that showed out to support us.”

Franklin’s Tennessee story is far from over, but it’s started pretty well.