A closer look at Tony Vitello's Tennessee baseball fall recruiting

All the focus is on football season this fall – especially with matchups like this weekend’s Tennessee and Georgia showcase – but the recruiting world never stops and Tony Vitello’s baseball staff is fast at work.

Most of the hay is already in the barn for the top-ranked (Perfect Game) 2026 class, a recruiting group that boasts 20 commits. A lot of the focus now is on the 2027 class as coaches could officially contact prospective student athletes on August 1. Programs could begin hosting prospects on campus for official and unofficial visits beginning September 1.  

With the home football slate for Tennessee underway, the baseball staff is utilizing it as much as they can. Several prospects were on campus for last week’s home-opening win over East Tennessee State and many more, between 12-16, are expected on campus this weekend for the top-15 showdown against Georgia.

The Vols have already seen a couple of success stories from last week’s visits with two public commits already linking up with the 2027 class. Jayden Pearl (No. 111) committed to Tennessee this week out of Battle Ground Academy in Mt Juliet, Tenn. He’s considered the 33^rd outfielder in the class, fifth player in Tennessee and the top-outfielder in the state.

It is with great pleasure and pride that I would like to announce that I will be continuing of my academic and athletic career at the University of Tennessee.
First I would like to thank God for all the blessings he has given me in life and my family for always being there to… pic.twitter.com/rEKZ59TpxZ

— Jayden Pearl (@Jaymoney_2027) September 9, 2025

New Jersey southpaw Cooper Burti also jumped in the boat following his visit. The ’27 prospect is considered the No. 247 recruiting the class, No. 20 left-handed pitcher, fourth player from New Jersey and No. 1 LHP in the state.  

Blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Tennessee! Thank you to all the coaches who have helped me along the way and to the coaches at UT for making this weekend unforgettable. This is home. 🍊🍊 @rickymartinez98 @RockyTopRoss @josh_elander @Vol_Baseball… pic.twitter.com/MRKzEtnnbK

— Cooper Burti (@cooperburti) September 8, 2025

Right-handed pitcher Brady Buenik committed to Tennessee on Friday. He’s ranked No. 65 overall in the 2027 class and the fifth at his position. He becomes the third top-100 prospect in the class that now has five members.

I am excited to announce I will be continuing my academic and baseball career at the University of Tennessee. Huge thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me and supported me along the way. Lastly, I would like to thank Coach Vitello, Coach Elander… pic.twitter.com/4iN4i2bc3Q

— Brady Buenik (@BradyBuenik) September 12, 2025

The expectation is a few more commits will go public over the next few days. Many others will follow as the fall is prime commitment time for Tennessee baseball. The three mentioned above join a class that is already headlined by No. 7 overall (SS) Max Hemenway and No. 23 overall (OF) Sebastian Wilson. Both players come from IMG Academy.  

It will be interesting to see how this staff – and other staffs around the country – go about filling up these classes moving forward. Roster sizes have been cut down to 34 (full scholarship), with the exception of a couple of ‘DSA’ slots for those players impacted by the changes this past summer. What that actual number is for the 2026 season can vary from team to team and it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Tennessee is over the 34-player threshold for the fall and is expected to have a few more slots allotted for the 2026 season, under the ‘DSA’ tag. The Vols officially open their fall practice slate later this month and will compete in a few exhibitions in the month of October. Details on the exhibitions will be announced once they are finalized.  

The Vols plan to utilize home football games plenty this fall with many prospects coming in for visits. Still, how many will Tennessee plan to sign for the 2027 class? That answer is unknown right now. In the meantime, Vitello and his staff will recruit coast-to-coast and get the best prospects on campus with hopes of gaining their commitments. And it doesn’t matter if they are perceived MLB first rounders right now. You take them if you can get them and then figure it out later. That strategy has worked better for Tennessee the past two MLB Draft cycles with several wins.   

2026 Tennessee Commits (20)

*Currently ranked No. 1 in the Perfect Game Team Rankings
*Individual rankings from Perfect Game

No. 5 (SS) Cole Koeninger
No. 29 (1B) AJ Curry
No. 48 (SS) Jaxson WoodNo. 57 (OF) Trevor CondonNo. 77 (RHP) Gary Morse
No. 85 (C) Sean Dunlap
No. 92 (RHP) Gannon Grant
No. 93 (RHP) Cade Allen
No. 95 (SS) Landon Thome
No. 99 (RHP) Cooper Shrum
No. 105 (3B) Michael Teasley
No. 125 (2B) Colt Springall
No. 142 (RHP) Tyler Putnam
No. 151 (3B) Brady Marshall
No. 154 (1B) Cody Boshell
No. 198 (OF) Griffin Miller
No. 202 (SS) Jack Dugan
No. 298 (LHP) Cole McLean
No. 350 (LHP) Drew Christine
No. 440 (RHP) Kia Bratton

2027 Tennessee Commits (4)

*Currently ranked No. 6 in the Perfect Game Team Rankings
*Individual rankings from Perfect Game

No. 7 (SS) Max Hemenway
No. 23 (OF) Sebastian Wilson
No. 11 (OF) Jayden Pearl
No. 247 (LHP) Cooper Burti