Alberto Osuna eligibility update: Tony Vitello provides latest on Tennessee transfer
Alberto Osuna’s eligibility is still up in the air for Tennessee baseball but head coach Tony Vitello is hopeful of the slugger.
Coming from North Carolina, Osuna committed just last week, so it remains to be seen if he’ll play for the Vols. But regardless of the situation, Vitello was pleased with how Osuna already adapted to the new school and teammates.
Now it’s just about getting him on the field.
“As of now, I think he’s waiting for clearance to be eligible. I don’t even know of the specific terms,” Vitello said. “And the one good thing is to come in, you know, halfway through the year and get everybody to like you and be on board with who you are, is not easy. But if you’re around that kid, which I think you guys will be, you’ll see why it’s easy for him. He’s an incredible kid.
“So that’s the big thing, from my standpoint. The rest is logistics and lawyer stuff. I’m not a lawyer and I have no idea. I think the only difference in his case from the one that took place in the winter [Diego Pavia] is that he plays baseball and the other guy plays football.”
Osuna, who spent three seasons at North Carolina and was a part of the Tar Heel College World Series squad in 2024, was set to play for Division II power Tampa this season as his Division I eligibility had expired.
He spent the fall with Tampa in preparations for this spring. Instead, thanks to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s lawsuit where the NCAA has granted waivers to former junior college transfers, there was an expectation that Osuna could continue at the Division I level.
“We’ll see what happens on Friday,” Vitello said. “You win or lose – obviously I like winning more than I like losing. At the very least, especially for a kid that’s as good as that, I hope whether it is this case or someone else’s, you’d like to see guys use their last year of eligibility.”
Osuna played in 63 games with 61 starts in 2022, hitting 20 home runs and 57 runs batted in with 86 strikeouts and 27 walks while registering a .265 batting average. He hit for a .223 average across 52 games (48 starts) with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 2023. And then this past season for North Carolina, Osuna recorded a .259 average across 62 games (62 starts) with 14 home runs and 56 RBI.
Eric Cain contributed to this report
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