Tennessee baseball adds transfer first baseman with insane hitting stats

Tennessee baseball and Tony Vitello continue to work the recruiting trail after bringing the program's first national championship. 

On Monday, former Niagara first baseman and corner outfielder Eric Rataczak announced his commitment to the Vols. He becomes the third player to commit to Tennessee through the portal this cycle, but likely won't be the last. 

He announced on Twitter/X his plans to play for Tennessee baseball next season. "I am excited to announce my commitment to the University of Tennessee," Rataczak wrote on Twitter/X. "Can't wait to get to work with all of @Vol_Baseball staff, thank you to them for the wonderful opportunity."

Rataczak had an insane season at the plate last season. He hit .396 at the plate with 17 home runs, 91 runs batted in, and had a 1.183 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

He led the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference in batting average, RBIs, on-base percentage, and OPS, which was enough to earn him All-MAAC honors. Ratczak was asked why Tennessee is the right place for the MAAC player of the year. 

"'Why is it not?' would be an easier question," Rataczak said on Monday. "The place is amazing. Obviously, let's start with the easy stuff. Their pedigree the last seven years under Coach V and that whole staff is out of this world. On top of that, I think the way they go about trying to bring in guys that are not only high-quality players but high-quality character-wise."

Rataczak and other 2024 commits could be drafted early in the MLB Draft and might never make it to Knoxville. Of course, each player has the option to go or return to college, but it's hard to deny professional baseball when it's calling. 

Rataczak is 23 years old, which is one of his concerns about starting his professional career too late. He will be 24 when the 2025 MLB Draft comes around, and he thinks that could hurt him in the draft.

"Playing in the SEC and playing for Tennessee would be very, very beneficial for me for a lot of reasons," Rataczak said. "But the problem is with my age is that another year older is another year less valued draft-wise in the scout's eyes. While I think it would be a slam dunk to go to Tennessee and play there and then join up with the pro ball route, not everyone that is making the professional decisions sees it that way."

This could be a reality for Rataczak and multiple high school recruits committed to Tennessee. NIL offers an opportunity for Tennessee to bring some players considering the MLB, but the Vols will likely lose a couple of players to this year's draft. 

The 2024 MLB Draft will take place just down the road from the Texas Rangers stadium, which is hosting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. The draft begins Sunday, July 14 at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN and will continue through Tuesday, July 16.