The transfer portal is still over a week away from officially opening in college baseball, but Tennessee already has a transfer portal commit in UNC Asheville’s Clay Edmondson.
Edmondson was able to already commit to Tennessee as a graduate transfer before UNC Asheville doesn’t have graduate school, meaning he would have to transfer somewhere to play his final year of college eligibility. The Greensboro, North Carolina native decided that Tennessee was the best spot for him last month after taking a visit across the mountains during a midweek.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound pitcher has continued his awesome redshirt junior season following his commitment to Tennessee. On Tuesday, the Big South named Edmondson its Pitcher of the Year.
Edmondson led the Big South and ranks 11th nationally with a 2.20 ERA at the conclusion of the regular season.. He also posted a 5-1 record and 1.13 WHIP while striking out 86 batters in 81.2 innings pitched. Despite having the conference’s pitcher of the year, UNC Asheville posted just a 15-35 (8-16 Big South) record and missed the conference tournament.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball and Softball Combine to Make SEC History in 2025
The submarine pitcher spent his freshman season at Guilford Technical Community College before transferring to UNC Asheville ahead of his sophomore season. He was a starter for GTCC as a true freshman in 2023, posting a 5-3 record and 5.50 ERA in 72 innings pitched. Edmondson threw just 2.2 innings at UNC Asheville in 2024 before having season-ending surgery.
Edmondson is eligible to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft and it is a fair concern for Tennessee that he may not make it to campus. With his low arm slot and mid 90 mph fastball paired with his production at Asheville, Edmondson could be selected on the second day of the MLB Draft.
It’s hard to project what Tennessee baseball’s pitching staff will look like next season at this point. But ace Liam Doyle will certainly be off to professional baseball and it’s very likely that Marcus Phillips, Nate Snead and Tanner Franklin could follow as well as a few other lesser used arms.
The Vols will for sure have Tegan Kuhns, Dylan Loy and Brayden Krenzel back and will likely return a few other draft eligible junior college transfers who have had lesser roles this season.
