Knoxville Smokies cancel Nico Iamaleava’s invitation for ceremonial first pitch after Tennessee departure

The Knoxville Smokes have cancelled its invitation for Nico Iamaleava to throw out a ceremonial first pitch this season, the team announced. The former Tennessee quarterback had previously been scheduled to make an appearance before a game for the MiLB AA team sometime this season.

This comes after news broke on Saturday morning that Iamaleava and Tennessee have parted ways, with the former planning to enter the NCAA transfer portal when the spring window opens. Iamaleava was previously set to begin his second season as starting quarterback for the Volunteers this coming fall.

The Smokies are the Double-A club affiliated with the MLB’s Chicago Cubs. They’re currently 3-3 on the young season, and feature prospects such as Pedro Ramirez, Brett Bateman and Pablo Aliendo, all of which land in the Cubs’ top 30 prospects list.

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