Volunteer Country

College Baseball Coach Takes Shot at Tennessee's Transfer Portal Acquisitions

College baseball coach Paul Mainieri took a shot at some of Tennessee's recent transfer portal acquisitions.

Jonathan Williams

Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) pitches during a college baseball game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 9, 2025.
Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) pitches during a college baseball game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 9, 2025. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College baseball coach Paul Mainieri took a shot at some of Tennessee's recent transfer portal acquisitions.

It's no secret that college sports have changed a lot of the years and perhaps the two biggest reasons for it are the transfer portal and NIL. In a recent interview, South Carolina baseball head coach Paul Mainieri was discussing some things that have changed since he left baseball, and the NIL was something he hit on.

"When I first got here last summer, we lost a lot of recruiting battles because other schools were giving a more, shall I say, appealing package to kids," Mainieri said. "That's the reality of the world we live in now. The schools that have a lot of money and are willing to give it to the players are getting the best players."

Mainieri took it a step further though and specifically singled out two players that Tennessee acquired from the transfer portal last offseason and how they ended up in Knoxville.

"We were playing Tennessee, for example, and the first baseman (Andrew Fischer) and the No. 1 starting pitcher (Liam Doyle) both played for Ole Miss last year, and both had a lot of success for Ole Miss last year. Why would they change schools from Ole Miss to Tennessee? Because they like the color orange? I mean, let's be honest."

Fischer and Doyle have been crucial additions for Tennessee this season and regardless of how they got here, it's become part of the game in college sports.

Follow Our Social Media Pages:

• Follow Tennessee on SI on Twitter: @VolsOnSI
• Follow Tennessee on SI on Facebook: @VOLS on SI

Follow Our Staff:

Follow Our Website

Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.

OTHER TENNESSEE NEWS

Published
Jonathan Williams
JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Jonathan Williams is a multimedia sports journalist who graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. He has multiple years of experience in covering college football for a variety of teams

Home/Baseball