Tennessee baseball infielder Dean Curley roped a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning against Florida Saturday in Knoxville, extending Tennessee’s lead to 4-0 in what was arguably the biggest moment of the game up to that point.
Upon reaching second base, Curley opened his orange jersey in a Superman-like motion, revealing a “Free Berto” T-shirt that Tennessee players have been wearing as of late.
Tennessee’s Dean Curley with a message for the masses after his bases clearing double. pic.twitter.com/hXARyN8QTM
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) March 15, 2025
Tennessee players and fans have been showing lots of support for North Carolina first base transfer Alberto Osuna since he had his injunction for another season of eligibility denied by a judge in court on Monday, March 3.
A week later, Osuna penned an open letter to the NCAA asking the collegiate sports governing body to award him his final year of eligibility while ripping them for how they have handled his case.
Read more about Osuna’s letter to the NCAA HERE.
The same morning, University of Tennessee students painted “#FreeBerto” along with an image of Osuna’s face on “The Rock,” a landmark on UT’s campus where students express public messages.
Before Tennessee’s series opener vs. Florida on Friday, the Vols were seen warming up in “Free Berto” T-shirts with the same design Curley’s tank-top had on Sunday.
Tennessee baseball warming up in their #FreeBerto shirts ahead of the Southeastern Conference opener with Florida.
Transfer Alberto Osuna , who is still ineligible, has received a ton of support this week. pic.twitter.com/pHfAoz8Rs8
— Eric Cain (@_Cainer) March 14, 2025
More than Tennessee’s players and fans, Osuna received support from East Tennessee congressman Tim Burchett.
During a meeting of the House of Representatives, Burchett used his one minute, 53 second general speech to inform people about Osuna’s case while imploring the NCAA to grant the transfer slugger immediate eligibility.
Osuna was out of Division I eligibility after playing two seasons at Walters State Community College and three seasons at North Carolina. But after the NCAA granted Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an extra-year of eligibility on the argument that junior college seasons can not count against an athlete’s Division I eligibility, Osuna entered the transfer portal and eventually landed at Tennessee.
The Mauldin, South Carolina native reached out to the NCAA asking for guidance on whether the Pavia ruling applied to him before entering the transfer portal but the college athletics governing body told him he had to file a waiver to receive that answer.
Only Division I schools, never individuals nor Division II schools, can file those waiver requests. For the NCAA to tell Osuna whether he was eligible, he would first have to transfer. When the NCAA had yet to assign anyone to review Osuna’s case on February 12, a day before the start of the season and 13 days after he transferred to Tennessee, the first baseman filed a complaint against the NCAA in federal court.
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It was a federal court that forced the NCAA’s hand in the Pavia case by saying junior college season can’t count against Division I eligibility. But, the federal judge ruled against Osuna despite the similarities in Pavia and Osuna’s cases.
Now, Osuna’s chances of receiving eligibility are dependent on the NCAA granting him an extra year of eligibility. Students painting “The Rock,” a congressman voicing his concern on the matter and Curley displaying a “Free Berto” T-shirt in Tennessee’s first nationally televised game of the season is all part of the push to try and get the 24-year-old eligible.
Osuna was a three-year starter for North Carolina at both first base and designated hitter. The right-handed bat combined to hit .259 with 32 doubles, 45 home runs and 140 RBIs in his three seasons at North Carolina. During the 2024 season, Osuna hit .281 with 17 doubles, 14 home runs and 56 RBIs on the Tar Heels run to the College World Series.
Tennessee is off to a 19-0 start to the 2025 season, the best in program history, and recently clinched a weekend series over Florida to open SEC play. The Vols will go for the series sweep against the Gators Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in Knoxville.
