Tennessee earns commitment of second 2-way player in transfer cycle, Blaine Brown

Tennessee baseball has continued to be aggressive under Tony Vitello and his staff this transfer portal cycle as the program landed Blaine Brown of Rice as the eighth transfer portal commitment.

The new Volunteer pledge took an official visit to Tennessee last weekend and is viewed as a left-handed pitcher, outfielder and an all-around solid athlete who can be used potentially as a pinch runner on the base paths. With rosters being cut down to 34 across college baseball, Brown will absolutely be used as a 2-way player at Tennessee.

Brown was named First-Team All-AAC as a designated hitter this past season and was also named to the league’s All-Freshman squad as a rookie for Rice.   

He led the Owls with a .292 batting average, .493 slugging percentage, 61 hits, 38 runs batted in, 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 103 total bases. Brown registered 18 multi-hit games and sported eight contests with multiple runs batted in.

The 2-way player also appeared in seven games with four starts on the mound, pitching to a 20.77 ERA in just 4.1 innings. The southpaw allowed 13 runs off nine hits with 12 strikeouts and 10 walks.

He was roughed up on the mound while pitching against the Vols on March 1 in the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston. Brown allowed three runs (two earned) off four walks and no hits in one-third of an inning in the start. He went 1-for-2 at the plate as the designated hitter in the contest.   

With rosters being cut down to 34 following the house settlement, 2-way players like Brown have become extremely popular. Brown was tabbed the No. 224 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class by Perfect Game and considered the No. 39 outfielder. The Pearland, TX. native was named the No. 24 prospect in the state and the No. 5 outfielder in Texas by the publication as well.

Brown will be draft eligible in 2027 and has three years of colligate eligibility remaining. He stands in at 6-foot-3 and weighs 180 pounds, throwing and hitting from the left side. Brown is the second 2-way player who has committed to Tennessee this transfer portal cycle, joining DJ Newman (Bowling Green). The former pitches from the left side while the latter from the right side. Both play the outfield defensively.

Baseball Transfer Portal

The 2025 non-graduate transfer portal opened on June 2 and will remain open until July 1. Players must have their name entered in the transfer portal by July 1 if they want to move on, but new destinations do not have to be made by that time.

TENNESSEE BASEBALL 2025 TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER

The Vols have benefited greatly from the transfer portal in recent cycles, reeling in the likes of Chase Dollander (2022), Griffin Merritt (2023), Maui Ahuna (2023), Zane Denton (2023), Billy Amick (2024), Cannon Peebles (2024), AJ Causey (2024), Chris Stamos (2024), Liam Doyle (2025), Andrew Fischer (2025) and Gavin Kilen (2025).

Tennessee now has eight additions via the transfer portal, a list that includes right-handed pitchers Clay Edmondson (UNC Asheville), Mason Estrada (MIT), Bo Rhudy (Kennesaw State), Brady Frederick (ETSU), utility Garrett Wright (Bowling Green), RHP/OF DJ Newman (Bowling Green) and 1B/OF Henry Ford (Virginia). Tennessee has also added junior college players such as RHP Matt Barr (SUNY Niagara) and Tyler Myatt (Walters State) and picked up catcher Trent Grindlinger as a late add to the 2025 class in recent weeks.

Tennessee has now lost 24 players to the transfer portal so far who were on the 2025 roster: INF Jack Jones, INF Robinson Martin, LHP Bryson Thacker, RHP Brayden Sharp, RHP Austin Hunley, RHP Thomas Crabtree, OF Colby Backus, LHP Ryler Smart, LHP Dylan Loy, LHP Andrew Behnke, RHP Austin Breedlove, RHP/OF Beau Revord, LHP Michael Sharman, LHP Brayden May, LHP Luke Payne, RHP Tanner Wiggins, LHP Dane Bjorn, RHP Stratton Scott, RHP Andrew DuMont, RHP Ben Martin, INF Dane Morrow, C Brooks Wright, RHP Aidan Hayse and RHP Tate Strickland.