When Duke baseball’s coaching staff left Durham to fill the opening at Virginia earlier this offseason, Blue Devils left-handed pitcher Mark Hindy entered the transfer portal just to keep his options open in case he “didn’t like the way things panned out” at Duke.
Selective with the calls he took, Tony Vitello and Tennessee baseball reaching out quickly grabbed his attention.
“Tennessee obviously stuck out to me because it was something I was looking for if I were to make a move, which I obviously ended up doing,” Hindy told RTI. “But just getting on the phone with Coach V(itello) and I talked with (Director of Pitching Performance) Josh Reynolds as well. They’re both very personable and unlike a lot of interactions I have on the phone with coaches, it felt more genuine then most. They took a personal interest in me (as a person) rather than just me as a commodity. I had a really good gut feeling talking to both of those guys and they made it a great experience for me.”
Hindy had no shortage of suitors in the portal, receiving interest from Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, Kentucky, Oklahoma and others. But the southpaw decided Tennessee was the right spot for him, committing to the Vols’ Wednesday evening.
The 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher already had positive views of Tennessee’s program from afar. Having not taken a visit to any schools, those positive conversations with Vitello and Reynolds helped assure Hindy that Tennessee was the right spot for him.
“Just the winning tradition and knowing with certainty that I’ll be put in a position to make a push for Omaha and a National Championship again,” Hindy said. “Alongside the balance between fun and competitive nature of the program. Before even talking to anyone or any fan, you can kind of see it just watching Tennessee on TV. They play with a little bit of edge which I love. Those are the kind of things that spoke to me.”
Hindy spent just one season at Duke, posting a 4.66 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 29 innings pitched after having a breakout redshirt sophomore season at William & Mary. While his numbers did take a mild step back from 2024 to 2025, his stuff still played extremely well in the ACC.
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Boasting a four-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball (90-93 mph), cutter (86-88 mph), slider (78-81 mph) and changeup (83-85 mph), Hindy posted a stellar 29.7% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate last saason with Duke.
“That I can compete in any situation, in any atmosphere were probably the biggest takeaways,” Hindy said of learned about himself at Duke. “You go from a mid major to a power four and you kind of have, me not really personally, but you have a little bit of doubt in yourself like, ‘hey, can I really do this?’ Then you do it, you prove yourself and prove it to yourself and everybody else that you belong and you’re capable. That was probably the biggest thing I learned mentally.”
Hindy also fills an important role at Tennessee. The Vols have overhauled their pitching staff this offseason and are in need of left-handed pitchers. Frank Anderson’s bunch has zero returning left-handed pitchers and prep signees Cameron Appenzeller and Kruz Schoolcraft are both major draft risks.
Tennessee has added a pair of left-handed arms out of the transfer portal but Virginia’s Evan Blanco could very well be a starting pitcher while Rice’s Blaine Brown is a two-way who was much more effective at the plate then on the mound in his freshman season. Landing Hindy gives Tennessee a left-handed bullpen arm who’s proven to be effective at the ACC level.
“A bit,” Hindy said on if Tennessee talked about its need for lefties. “Definitely a lot (on impact on potential role). That’s a common denominator. They definitely mentioned it. I’m happy to be in a position where I can possibly fulfill an important role.”
Hindy and Duke came up just a game short of a trip to the College World Series last season. The New Jersey native wants Vol fans to know that he’s ready to give it his all to help Tennessee not only get back to Omaha but lift the trophy while there.
“I want them to know that I’m a competitor,” Hindy said. “That this is probably the end of the line for me college baseball wise so I will come in every day ready to empty the tank and do whatever I can to help the Tennessee Volunteers win a national championship.”
