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Transfer pitcher who recorded four strikeouts against Tennessee baseball commits to Vols

Transfer pitcher who recorded four strikeouts against Tennessee baseball commits to Vols

USA Todaya day ago

Transfer pitcher who recorded four strikeouts against Tennessee baseball commits to Vols
Tennessee baseball received a transfer commitment on Wednesday. East Tennessee State pitcher Brady Frederick announced his commitment to the Vols.
"Go Vols," he announced.
In 2025 as a sophomore, Fredrick (9-2) recorded four saves, 81 strikeouts and a 2.55 ERA in 81.1 innings for the Buccaneers. He earned Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-Southern Conference honors.
During his first season with East Tennessee State in 2024, Fredrick appeared in seven games, pitching five innings and recording three strikeouts.
He is from Bearden High School (Knoxville, Tennessee). During his high school career with the Bulldogs, he was a two-time all-district player and was the league's Silver Slugger Award winner. Frederick was named to the ETBCA's All-State Team, receiving first-team honors. He also earned a diploma of distinction from Bearden.
East Tennessee State defeated the Vols, 7-6 in 10 innings, on March 18 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Frederick pitched 3.2 innings against Tennessee, totaling four strikeouts in the contest.
More: East Tennessee State baseball upsets No. 1 undefeated Vols in 2025
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The NCAA maintains that eligibility rules are non-commercial in nature since they concern a more academic or educational consideration: when a student is eligible to play sport. Antitrust law governs commercial matters, and thus the NCAA contends eligibility rules should fall outside antitrust scrutiny. Crytzer disagreed. She wrote that in the modern college sports world, college athletes 'may receive compensation in exchange for their athletic services.' She added that 'the nature and amount of that compensation' depends in part on whether a player is eligible to play. Crytzer referenced U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granting final approval of the 10-year settlement between the NCAA, power conferences and current and former Division I athletes represented by the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations. The settlement will allow colleges to directly share revenue with athletes. To be clear, Crytzer clarified House is outside the scope of Zeigler v. NCAA and had no impact on her ruling. But Crytzer's reference to the House settlement is a reminder that college athletes in power conference programs are morphing into a status that has some similarity to pro athletes, albeit with academic obligations. And it means the NCAA can anticipate other antitrust lawsuits over rules. The association has been besieged with antitrust lawsuits brought by athletes in their 20s who don't want to leave college sports. Some are like Zeigler in that they're college stars who can command millions in NIL (and perhaps soon in revenue-sharing) and whose schools would love to keep them around long-term as grad students who aren't quite good enough (or in the case of the 5-foot-9 Zeigler, tall enough) for the NBA or NFL. Their chance to make money is in college sports, and they don't want to leave. Advertisement Thursday's ruling doesn't end Zeigler's case. He can continue to litigate and hope to eventually win a trial where he would be awarded damages. Zeigler can also appeal Crytzer's order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Absent intervention by the appellate court, Zeigler will remain a former, rather than active, Vols player. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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