Tyler Myatt went to his first Tennessee baseball game in 2021 watching Evan Russell bash three home runs in a thrilling win over rival Vanderbilt. A Tazewell native, Myatt was only a casual Tennessee fan at that point but the game took his fandom to a whole new level.
Four years later and now one of the top junior college players in the country, Myatt committed to Tennessee baseball Tuesday night over LSU and Texas A&M.
“I knew what I wanted. All of them (LSU and Texas A&M) came kind of the same week and then Tennessee comes two weeks later and I knew, I was locked on for a year or three years or however long I’m there,” Myatt told RTI.
Tennessee assistant coach Ross Kivett first watched Myatt in a game at Pellissippi State in April and Kivett quickly started building a relationship with the left-handed hitter. Myatt unofficially visited Tennessee for a game against Kentucky later that month and returned for an official visit shortly after that.
Myatt already had relationships with a few Volunteer players before the visits an the way the people in the program treated him was one of multiple things that made an impression on him.
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“The preparation. Before a game, what all they do. How they do it,” Myatt said. “How everything is by a certain way. I kind of love that because I do it the same way when I get ready for a game. And honestly how everyone treated me. I know some players from the team kind of on a personal level too and I’ve talked to them, the bad and good and there was a heck of a lot more good than there was bad.”
The former Claiborne High School standout is coming off a stellar year on the Senators run to the JUCO World Series. Myatt broke single-season school records with 31 home runs and 110 RBIs in 66 games.
Don’t let the power numbers make you think that the lefty can’t hit for contact. Myatt posted a .484 batting average and .583 on-base percentage. Perfect Game ranks him as the No. 14 junior college prospect in the country.
“I’m a big team guy. I love getting the job done,” Myatt said of his game. “Even if I have to get out doing it, if there needs to be a sac fly, I’m going to figure out how to get it in the air somehow. Or I love being the game changer. If we’re down two and there’s two-on and I’m up to bat, I’m going to take one swing for me and hopefully get it out of the park.”
Walters State mostly used Myatt as a designated hitter last season but he’s capable of playing second base and outfield. Myatt is draft eligible but if he makes it to campus he could be an instant impact bat for Tennessee next season.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Myatt said. “No matter what, it’s going to be exciting. Just hold your breathe and wait on me to get there.”
