Wichita State pitcher Nate Snead committed to Tennessee baseball Wednesday afternoon. Snead is one of an abundance of Wichita State baseball players to enter the transfer portal since the Shockers parted ways with coach Eric Wedge at the beginning of the offseason.
Snead visited Tennessee over the weekend as Tony Vitello and his staff quickly earned a commitment from one of the top right-handed pitchers in the transfer portal. The top transfer target also had interest from Arkansas and planned on visiting Fayetteville before committing to Tennessee.
The right-handed pitcher boasts an upper-90s fastball and a plus curveball. Tennessee will look to improve his changeup and add a slider to his repertoire once he gets to Knoxville.
More From RTI: Relive The Best Moments From The 2023 Tennessee Baseball Season
In his freshman season at Wichita State, Snead posted a 1-2 record, 3.16 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound pitcher wasn’t a starter for the Shockers in his freshman season but was a top relief arm. Snead pitched 42.2 innings in 24 appearances last season, striking out 53 batters while surrendering just 17 walks.
Snead represents the best of both worlds in the transfer portal for Tennessee. The Milwaukee native should make an instant impact in the Vols’ pitching staff and will be in Knoxville for at least two more years while boasting three years of remaining eligibility.
Tennessee is looking for instant impact pitchers in the portal as Vitello’s team is set to lose a number of top pitchers in next month’s MLB Draft. All three of Chase Dollander, Andrew Lindsey and Seth Halvorsen are poised for professional baseball while Hollis Fanning could potentially join them.
Snead will be in competition to win a weekend starting job for Tennessee — like nearly every Vol pitcher this offseason — but feels poised for a bullpen role in 2024.
