Tennessee baseball signed North Carolina and Tampa transfer first baseman Alberto Osuna ahead of the 2025 season, but he has yet to play for the Vols.
That is because the NCAA denied Osuna the extra year of eligibility. Osuna filed for the extra year, noting the precedent set with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's additional year of eligibility.
While Pavia was granted another year, Osuna was denied. The NCAA's decision is nothing more than hypocrisy of its own rules and previous decisions. Tennessee coaches, players, and fans have continued to ask questions the NCAA doesn't have answers for.
Osuna shared a letter he sent to the NCAA looking for answers on social media. In the letter, he detailed his journey to Tennessee, his conversations with the NCAA, and several questions after their baffling decision to deny him the opportunity to play in his final season of eligibility.
Former Tennessee baseball outfielder Jared Dickey took to social media to share his frustration, saying, "As a former Tennessee baseball player, I’m beyond frustrated by the NCAA’s inconsistency. Diego Pavia gets a waiver, but Alberto Osuna doesn’t? Same situation, different rulings. The system is broken, and Berto deserves to play. Fix it."
Dickey, along with other former and current players, has spoken out about their frustration with the NCAA and its decision.
Former and current players Blake Burke, Ben Joyce, Andrew Fischer, Tate Strickland, Arnold Abernathy, and assistant coach Ross Kivet have all shared their support for Osuna on social media.
Tony Vitello has also shared his frustration with the Knoxville media, as Osuna's situation has been a big part of some post-game conversations. Vitello called for public support as public opinion could play a vital role in Osuna eventually being granted the ability to play.
"Public opinion can sway you in a negative way or a positive way," Vitello said. "And I just haven't heard a lot of that noise. I saw an ESPN article, which that's not local. And someone said Coach [Rick] Neuheisel had some comments. That's not local. I just don't know if anyone has talked to the kid.
"If you talk to the kid, people are going to realize, oh, at the very least, we're losing another guy like Kirby [Connell] that could really be embedded in the program. And, 'Oh, maybe the guy went to junior college because he comes from a modest income and is bilingual.' There are some things there that are a good story."
Osuna continues to fight for his eligibility, but the NCAA has yet to budge. The Vols have a midweek matchup against West Georgia on Tuesday night at 4:30 PM ET before the first SEC series of the season against Florida.