Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander was considering two different leadoff hitters entering the season. With his speed, sophomore Jay Abernathy has the traditional leadoff man skillset. Henry Ford is Tennessee’s best hitter and fits the new age philosophy of getting your best player the most at-bats.
But with the Vols’ entering their SEC opening series at Georgia this weekend, it’s Bowling Green transfer Garrett Wright that’s grabbed the reigns of the leadoff spot.
“We just look at the numbers like we’re trying to get in spots where Henry’s got guys, or ducks on the pond in front of him,” Elander said Tuesday night. “We joke about the hit by pitches, but the guy is a winning player. He does things that get on base, and then you got some guys that can leave the yard behind him stacked up. It seems to be a good little mix that we’ll roll with for a minute.”
Wright returned from a hamate bone injury just last week but has been on a tear in his five games since making his season debut. He hit in the leadoff spot for the first time in Tennessee’s 20-2 win over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night and promptly hit the second pitch of the game into the left field porches.
He reached base in his next two-bats via hit-by pitch, marking his fifth and sixth of the extremely young season. Wright has a knack for reaching base via hit-by pitch, leaving Bowling Green as the single-season and career record holder.
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“Just don’t move,” Wright said of his ability to reach via hit-by pitch. “All it is. Just a warrior mentality. And kind of just go from there.”
Through his first six games played this season, Wright is hitting seven-for-14 with two doubles and a home run. He’s reached base six more times via hit-by pitch. With a Tennessee offense struggling badly early this season. the Vols need people in the lineup who can get on base.
As Elander noted, that’s especially the case in front of Henry Ford— the Vols’ most consistent hitter so far this season.
“He’s just scrappy, catcher Stone Lawless said of Wright. “For some reason he is a magnet so he continues to get hit. He’ll get to two strikes and slap a ball for a double. He’s just reliable. You feel like he’s going to get on base. And obviously you have Henry and Blaine and all of us behind him. So it’s just a good way to get things rolling.”
Wright has positional versatility. He’s started in center and left field for Tennessee early this season. He’s also a capable catcher but the hamate bone injury has kept him from catching in games. There’s positional uncertainty, but Wright will be at the top of Tennessee’s lineup this weekend in Athens.
More to follow: SEC tournament
