Growing up in East Tennessee and pitching for nearby Bearden High School, Brady Frederick dreamed of playing for the University of Tennessee. That dream is going to become a reality as the former East Tennessee State hurler committed to the Vols out of the transfer portal.
“I mean, hometown guy [who] grew up in Knoxville. I grew up watching those games and they always meant a lot to me and my family and those around me,” the pitcher told Volquest prior to his commitment. “So, to get a chance to go play on that stage is something that’s always been on my heart. But now that I have a chance to, I think it’s something super special.”
Frederick was a two-time All-District player with the Bulldogs as a prep athlete. He won the silver slugger award for his district and reeled in ETBCA First-Team honors as a senior prior to attending ETSU.Being able to come home and play for a coach like Tony Vitello was something he simply could not pass up once entering the NCAA transfer portal.
“He’s super upfront. He’s an honest guy. He is super fun to be around,” Frederick said of the skipper. “He’s always cracking jokes and we got along instantly. He’s a super nice guy, but at the end of the day, he cares about winning and he cares about moving his team where they need to be. That’s important.”
Not only will Frederick be able to play for a national championship winning head coach, but he’s also going to be able to learn from and be developed by one of the best pitching coaches in the country – one who has a proven track record of producing draft picks.
“He appreciated the competitor side of me, which I thought was pretty cool,” the pitcher said of his conversations with Frank Anderson. “He said he had seen it before, he had seen it in high school that he saw there’s a huge competitor side of me. Obviously, that translates over to pitching. He knows that no matter what, I’m going to go get my all for a certain day
