Roster Changes: Tennessee Baseball's NCAA Transfer additions, losses so far

Tennessee Baseball is just over two weeks removed from winning the program’s first national championship and the Vols have been buys in the NCAA Transfer Portal. Tony Vitello’s program added Louisville infielder Gavin Kilen on the Fourth of July after getting a commitment from pitcher Tanner Franklin on July 2. Tennessee has been busy this past week, adding three more to the transfer portal class.

There have been seven players leave the program through the portal, too, along with 2023 third baseman Zane Denton.

Here’s a rundown of who the Vols have lost and who they have added in the NCAA Transfer Portal so far:

Tennessee’s Transfer Additions

Gavin Kilen, Louisville Infielder: A 5-foot-11, 180-pound sophomore who is draft eligible in 2025, has two years of eligibility remaining and was one of the biggest names in the transfer portal. He finished the 2024 season with a .330 average, nine home runs, 41 runs batted in, 39 runs scored, 23 doubles and three triples. He led Louisville in hits, doubles and total bases while his 23 doubles were tied for fifth-most in program history while starting 54 of his 56 games at shortstop this past spring. As a freshman in 2023, Kilen played in 46 games with 38 starts across the middle infield – 30 at second base and eight at shortstop. He logged a .265 batting average with nine doubles, a triple and 18 RBI..

Tanner Franklin, Kennesaw State Pitcher: A 6-foot-5, 240-pound Jefferson County native, pitched the last two seasons at Kennesaw State and has two years of eligibility remaining. Franklin went 4-1 with a 5.60 ERA over 21 appearances with one start this season. The sophomore threw 27.1 innings with 43 strikeouts and 27 walks. He had five saves and held opposing batters to a .212 average. In 2023 as a true freshman, Franklin had an 8.18 ERA in 13 appearances with two starts and 11.0 innings pitched.  

Eric Rataczak, Niagara First Baseman: A 6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt junior who is draft eligible this summer and has one year of eligibility remaining. He will be one to watch over the course of the Major League Baseball Draft, which starts on Sunday. Named the league’s Player of the Year, Rataczak put forth one of the best seasons in Niagara baseball history, leading the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in batting average (.396), OPS, RBI (71) and on-base percentage (.485). He became the program record holder for single-season runs (59), hits (88), home runs (17) and 71 RBI to go along with 27 multi-hit games – including 13 three-hit contests.

Andrew Fischer, Ole Miss Infielder: A 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore who is draft eligible in 2025 will have two seasons of eligibility remaining in Knoxville. Fischer was named Second-Team All-SEC in 2024 following his first and only year in Oxford where he hit .285 with 20 homers and 57 runs batted in. The hot corner defender struck out 53 times and walked on 35 occasions over 207 at-bats while also logging 10 doubles with a pair of triples. Fischer led the squad in home runs, RBI, hits (59) and was second in runs scored (47).

Liam Doyle, Ole Miss Pitcher: A 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore who is draft eligible in 2025 with two years of eligibility remaining in Knoxville. Doyle tossed 55 innings over 16 appearances in 2024 with 11 starts, contributing a 3-4 record with an ERA of 5.73. The lefty struck out 84 batters, walked 21 and opponents hit .230 against him. The pitcher tossed a gem at Tennessee on March 23 this past season, throwing six-innings strong of three earned-run baseball with 10 strikeouts to only one walk. He allowed only three this in the victory and the 10 strikeouts tied for a season-high as he accomplished the feat just a week prior as well in a win over South Carolina at home.  

Transfers Out

Robin Villeneuve, First Baseman/Outfielder: A power-hitting right-handed batter who hit .288 in his lone season at Tennessee. He had five home runs with 22 RBI but struck out 38 times over 80 at-bats, with just 14 walks.

Bradke Lohry, Infielder: He hit .241 with eight RBI and 14 runs scored over 29 at-bats. He received some opportunities as a pinch hitter and designated hitter towards the end of the season and even started at second base for Tennessee in Game 2 of the Knoxville Super Regional against Evansville.   

Derek Schaefer, Pitcher: A freshman right-handed pitcher who received plenty of opportunities early in the season to carve out a role for Tennessee. Instead, he was passed over by fellow freshman arm Dylan Loy and sophomore JJ Garcia for some of the final few pitcher spots on the postseason roster. Schaefer went 2-0 with a 9.35 ERA over 10 appearances with two starts. He pitched 8.2 innings, giving up nine runs on 10 hits with 10 strikeouts to eight walks. He will have three years of eligibility remaining and will be drafted eligible in the summer of 2026.     

Camden Bates, Reserve Infielder: The 5-10, 165-pound infielder, played one season at Tennessee. In 10 appearances on the active roster, Bates had two hits in eight at-bats (.250) with one home run, four runs batted in and three runs scored. The freshman walked three times and struck out three times, while also recording a sacrifice fly in the process. A three-run home run highlighted his Tennessee tenure in a win over Alabama A&M on April 9. 

Matthew Dallas, Pitcher: The freshman left-handed pitcher from Memphis, appeared in 15 games and made two starts. He had a 4.76 over 17.0 innings pitched, with 22 strikeouts against 10 walks while facing 61 batters. He had a 1.24 WHIP.

Wyatt Evans, Pitcher: The 6-foot-6, 245-pound left-handed sophomore from Greenville, S.C., did not pitch for the Vols over the last two seasons after dealign with arm issues. He pitched 16.0 innings in 2022, giving up four runs on 12 hits. He committed to South Carolina on June 21.

Daniel Parris, Pitcher: The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman, did not pitch for Tennessee this season. He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on June 10.