Tennessee baseball transfer utility man Jay Abernathy committed to Oklahoma on Thursday evening, he announced on Instagram. Despite being a two-seed in the Atlanta Regional, Oklahoma made it to the College World Series this season and begins play Saturday afternoon against Alabama.

Abernathy played in 53 games and started 39 games during his sophomore season, hitting .236 with nine doubles, three homers, one triple and 16 RBIs. He started 27 games as a freshman, hitting .282 with three doubles, one homer and 11 RBIs.

The left-handed utility man was a real threat on the base paths, stealing 17 bases in his two years in Knoxville.

Abernathy is a versatile defender who started 29 games in centerfield and 10 games at second base this past season. He was particularly strong defensively in centerfield, using his speed to track down balls in the gap.

However, Abernathy’s inconsistent bat keeps it from being a lock that he would have been an everyday starter for the Vols next season.

More From RTI: Brody Trosclair Explains Why Tennessee Baseball Felt Like Home, Impressions Of Austin Knight

The Vols are in need of outfielders entering next season. Centerfielder Garrett Wright is likely MLB Draft bound while Reese Chapman is out of eligibility and Nate Eisfelder also entered the transfer portal.

Abernathy is one of 15 Tennessee players have entered the transfer portal this offseason including first baseman Evan Hankins, right-handed pitcher Nic Abraham, outfielder Nate Eisfelder, shortstop Manny Marin, catcher Cash Williams, infielder Finley Bates, shortstop Ariel Antigua, infielder Ethan Moore, utility man Hunter High, utility man Chris Newstrom, outfielder Hutson Chance and right-handed pitcher Brayden Krenzel, two-way Taylor Tracey and right-handed pitcher Ari Bethea.

A number of Tennessee players have announced intentions to return for next season including RHP Landon Mack, LHP Cam Appenzeller, first baseman Levi Clark, catcher Trent Grindlinger, catcher Stone Lawless and LHP Will Haas.

The Vols have landed two transfer commits to date including Northwestern State left-handed pitcher Brody Trosclair and Mercer two-way Braydon Kersey. Air Force infielder Wyatt Hanoian has also visited Tennessee this offseason.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A new Tennessee law will require first-time vehicle registration applicants to show proof of citizenship or legal immigration status beginning in 2027, a requirement that does not apply to drivers renewing existing registrations.

Tennessee has enacted a new law, Public Chapter 954, that requires people applying for an initial motor vehicle registration to prove they are a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or a person whose federal immigration status authorizes their presence in the country for a specific purpose and time period.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. It applies only to first-time registrations for vehicles that require a license plate.

It does not apply to registration renewals, meaning people who already have a registered vehicle and are simply renewing that registration are not affected.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will publish a full list of acceptable documents on its website. However, the law already identifies five specific license types that automatically qualify as proof:

• A REAL ID-compliant license
• A standard Tennessee driver’s license
• A Tennessee temporary driver’s license
• A Tennessee temporary photo identification license
• A Tennessee photo identification card

Documents can be presented in paper or electronic format, including images displayed on a cellphone or portable device.

Click here for more information about the Tennessee vehicle registration law.

Phillip Smith

Photo by pariwat pannium

In the wake of the passage of the 2018 farm bill legalizing hemp, the Volunteer State saw an explosion in sales of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Tennessee has not legalized marijuana or medical marijuana, leaving the field wide-open for psychoactive edibles, gummies, and beverages derived from hemp.

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That state of affairs sparked blowback from lawmakers, who began attempting to ban hemp-derived intoxicating substances back in 2022, amidst complaints about a “Wild West” hemp scene in the state. Last year, legislators finally managed to pass a measure to rein in the sector, House Bill 1376, which goes into effect on July 1.

That bill transfers the regulation of hemp cannabinoid products from the Department of Agriculture to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission and allows sales at businesses with liquor licenses for either on- or off-site consumption, as well as by hemp cannabinoid manufacturers with a retail outlet on the same premises.

But those products will contain less than 0.3 percent total THC because the new law includes THCA, which transforms into THC when burned, and synthetic cannabinoids in calculating permissible THC levels.

As the bill’s summary puts it, “This bill instead specifies that THCa is not a HDCP [hemp-derived cannabinoid product] and defines THCa as the precursor of delta-9 THC. This bill also specifies that a synthetic cannabinoid is not a HDCP and defines ‘synthetic cannabinoid’ to mean a substance with a similar chemical structure and pharmacological activity to a cannabinoid, but that is not extracted or derived from hemp plants, or hemp plant parts, and is instead created or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis.”

Industry experts estimated that the new law will wipe out 75 percent of hemp sales, calling it a “death blow” for the state’s hemp industry.

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One lawmaker, Rep. John Crawford (R), said there is a hemp cannabinoid wholesaler in his district who will likely be forced out of business.

“I have a really hard time with that we gave them permission over the last year, and now we’re taking that back,” Crawford said.

The ban will not only hurt the hemp sector but also impact the state’s budget. Revenue officials have already slashed this year’s expected hemp wholesale tax revenues from $55 million to $10 million.

In 2022, when lawmakers were first considering a ban on hemp cannabinoids, the legislative fiscal review committee estimated that the state’s industry was worth about $180 million. It will be a tiny fraction of that in the future.

This first appeared in the American Hemp Monitor.

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