Major Announcement: Tony Vitello lands 6-2, 195lb star for Tennessee baseball

UNC Asheville pitcher Clay Edmondson made a very early commitment to Tennessee baseball out of the transfer portal.

Edmondson would be in the Vols’ plans for the 2026 season. As a grad transfer, he can enter the portal early and commit to UT now rather than waiting until the postseason.

However, Edmondson is draft eligible in 2025, so there’s a chance he might never make it to UT. The Vols have had transfer commitments drafted in the past two seasons — Ryan Galanie in 2023 and Eric Rataczak in 2024.

“I am very excited to announce that I have officially committed to University of Tennessee for my last year of college baseball!” Edmondson posted on Instagram on April 24.

“I just want to say thank you to my family for supporting me through this decision as well as my teammates and coaches at UNCA for giving me a wonderful 3 years and will forever be a Bulldog! I will forever cherish the memories made and friendships made over the years! #tennessee #rockytoptennessee”

Edmondson is submarine righthander. He can serve as a starter or reliever, and his velocity touches 95 mph.

Edmondson missed most of the 2023 season with an arm injury, but he’s been dominant this season. He has a 5-1 record with a 2.01 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 62.2 innings, including 10 weekend starts for UNC Asheville.

He started his career at Guilford Technical Community College.