Tennessee baseball playmaker announces he's returning for one more season

With current NIL and professional sports offerings, it's just as hard to recruit your own players as it is to recruit new players. Tennessee baseball continued to win throughout July after the Vols won their first national championship in program history. 

Tennessee outfielder Hunter Ensley announced on Twitter/X that he has one more season on Rocky Top before he hits the professional circuit. Ensley is staying home to run it back with the Vols.

Ensley has played all four seasons of his college baseball career with Tennessee and will dedicate his final year to winning a second-straight national championship. 

The Huntington, Tennessee native was a huge piece in Tennessee's national championship team. He made his mark in Omaha and helped the Vols win games at centerfield and the plate. He hit .296 on the year with 12 home runs, 48 RBIs, and a .390 on-base percentage. 

Ensley also made some key plays to give the Vols a fighting chance. Vol baseball quickly reminded us of Ensley's elite defense and base running that helped Tennessee win the College World Series.

Ensley is a playmaker and game-changer, and he will get to be that for the Vols for one more season. He's proven to be one of Tennessee's best defenders over the past two seasons in centerfield and has continued to improve at the plate year after year. 

The Vols are losing many veteran players to graduation and the MLB Draft, so Ensley's return will help keep the Vols rolling next year despite the new faces in the lineup. 

He will also return with an opportunity to add some draft stock to his name. He went undrafted in 2023 and would have likely been a Day 3 draft pick this year. If he can return to Rocky Top and continue to improve, we could see Ensley's name called much earlier than Day 3 in 2025.