Tennessee
Finley Bates commits to Tennessee baseball as San Diego State transfer infielder
Finley Bates has committed to Tennessee baseball as a San Diego State transfer infielder.
Bates is a career .296 hitter in two seasons. He has an almost even strikeout-to-walk ratio in his career with 65 strikeouts and 62 walks. He walked 40 times while striking out 30 times in 2025, while hitting .300. He announced his commitment on social media on July 10.
The 5-foot-10 infielder was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2024. He played 55 games at second base and 60 at shortstop in his college career. He is from Castle Rock, Colorado.
Bates is the fifth hitter in Tennessee’s transfer class, including the two two-way players among its 12 members.
UT also landed first baseman/outfielder Henry Ford from Virginia and catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright from Bowling Green. It landed former Bowling Green two-way player DJ Newman and ex-Rice two-way player Blaine Brown.
Ford hit .348 with 28 homers and 115 RBIs in two seasons at Virginia.
The right-handed Ford was a second-team All-ACC selection as a sophomore after hitting .362 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 51 games.
Wright is coming off his second straight All-MAC season. He hit .406 with eight homers and 48 RBIs. He also had 20 doubles and four triples to post 32 extra-base hits with a .663 slugging percentage. Wright is a career .396 hitter with 14 homers and 76 RBIs in two seasons at Bowling Green. .
Newman hit .388 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs in 101 games in three seasons at Bowling Green.
Brown was a unanimous freshman All-American and an All-AAC pick as a designated hitter after hitting .292 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs. He hit 12 doubles among his 61 hits and walked 21 times. The left-handed hitter played some outfield.
Tennessee also has seven pitchers committed.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.