When East Tennessee State University makes a trip to Lindsey Nelson Stadium Tuesday night to take on No. 10 Tennessee, several Buccaneers will have a homecoming as they played their high school baseball in the Knoxville area.
ETSU (10-5) has 11 players with Knoxville ties on its 2021 roster.
They include: Hunter Loyd (a junior pitcher who played at Christian Academy of Knoxville under legendary coach Tommy Pharr); Austin King (a sophomore infielder from Farragut, where he played for the Admirals, who are always in contention for a Class AAA State Championship); David Beam (a senior outfielder and star at Bearden High School); Noah Webb (a sophomore catcher who played for Sevier County); Sean Kearney (a senior infielder who prepped at Knoxville Catholic); Landon Smiddy (a pitcher from Farragut); Bryce Hodge (who played at Halls High before beginning his collegiate career at Walters State Community College) and Walker Trusley (a pitcher who starred in both baseball and football at Powell High School).
Other players with ties to the area include Owen Kovacs and Adam Birkholz, who both pitched at Farragut, and Bubba Hubbard who played at Walters State.
First pitch for the game between Tennessee (17-3) and the Bucs is slated for 6:30 p.m. EDT.