A pair of Tennessee baseball infielders are entering the transfer portal. Both Ethan Moore and Finley Bates are leaving the Volunteer program after spending just one season in Knoxville, GoVols247’s Ben McKee first reported and a source confirmed to RTI.
Moore did not play in a single game while redshirting his freshman year in Knoxville. The Illinois native was a top 100 high school recruit coming out of Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois. The Cincinnati Reds drafted Moore in the 18th round of last summer’s MLB Draft.
However, Moore struggled during the fall entering his freshman year and never earned any playing time during the 2026 season.
Bates transferred to Tennessee from San Diego State ahead of his junior season but played just sparingly. The middle infielder played in 12 and started two games during the 2026 season, hitting .333 with one home run and two RBIs.
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The Colorado native split playing time at shortstop and second base during his sophomore season at San Diego State but is capable of also playing third base. He hit .300 with one home run, 14 total extra-base hits and 23 RBIs while stealing eight bases as a sophomore.
Tennessee could have two starting middle infield spots open next season with both Manny Marin and Blake Grimmer eligible for this summer’s MLB Draft. But it was unlikely that either Bates or Moore were going to win starting positions.
Moore and Bates join Brayden Krenzel, Ariel Antigua and Chris Newstrom as Tennessee baseball players to enter the transfer portal this offseason on the first day the transfer portal is open. They almost certainly will not be the last players.
After failing to make it out of the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, Josh Elander and his coaching staff enter a critical offseason. Tennessee will lose a number of players to the portal and will be aggressive adding more talent to its roster.
