Niagara first baseman Eric Rataczak committed to Tennessee baseball over Wake Forest, Vanderbilt and Arkansas on Monday coming off his weekend visit to Knoxville.
Rataczak entered the transfer portal after a stellar redshirt junior season at Niagara where he hit .396 with 17 home runs, 32 extra-base hits and 71 RBIs. The left-handed hitting first baseman posted a .396/.485/.696 while posting a 8.7% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound is eligible for the upcoming MLB Draft and could potentially never make it to Tennessee’s campus if he elects to sign professionally later this month. But after a dominant season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Rataczak could bolster his draft prospects with a big season against top college competition in the SEC.
Rataczak comes to Tennessee after a wild college journey. He started his college career as a student playing club baseball at the University of San Diego before playing at both Wabash Community College in Illinois and Arizona Western Community. The power hitting first baseman went back to San Diego and played more club baseball before transferring to Niagara before the 2024 season.
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First base is a big need on Tennessee’s roster ahead of the 2025 season. Two-year starter Blake Burke is off to professional baseball after an incredible junior season where he hit .379 with 30 doubles, 20 home runs and 71 RBIs.
If Rataczak does make it to campus, he’ll be the favorite to fill the spot Burke left as Tennessee’s starting first baseman. Tennessee had two back up first basemen last season, the versatile Dalton Bargo and Robin Villeneuve. Bargo could compete for the starting job at first base but is versatile enough to play at a number of positions in his second season in Knoxville. Villeneuve entered the transfer portal last week after just one season at Tennessee.
Rataczak becomes Tennessee baseball’s third addition in the transfer portal to date along with Kennesaw State RHP Tanner Franklin and Louisville infielder Gavin Kilen. Tony Vitello and his staff are after a number of other recruiting targets including Ole Miss infielder Andrew Fischer, left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle and Florida left-handed pitcher Cade Fisher.
