| April 5, 2021
The University of Tennessee’s Kyle Booker, a talented outfielder for the Volunteers and future member of the Orange County Riptide, had himself a night in a recent 9-2 victory over Western Carolina at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville. In the win, Booker tallied five total bases thanks to three runs scored plus two hits. “The Mississippi native also hit his first-career home run and tied a career high with three RBI on the night. Booker's solo homer in the third inning tied the game and his two-run single in the fourth put the Vols up for good,” noted utsports.com.
Tennessee, now 24-5 and ranked No. 4 in the nation by USA Today and second in the SEC East behind No. 1 ranked Vanderbilt, likes what they see in the freshman Booker. “Kyle’s skill-set is pretty extraordinary. He’s an SEC-level player right now strength-wise and speed-wise,” commented head coach Tony Vitello in a postgame press conference.
Others are taking notice of the smooth swinger from the left side. D1Baseball.com placed Booker on its 2021 SEC Impact Freshman List.
Before arriving at UT, Booker helped lead Mississippi’s Desoto Central High School to not one, but two state championships. Perfect Game ranked Booker a Top 10 player in the state and one of the top outfielders (No. 38) in the nation. Twice Booker was named a Preseason Underclass All-America selection.
Excelling in baseball is nothing new for the Booker family. Kyle’s father, Kevin, was drafted in the 11th Round of the 1992 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He would go on to play six seasons of professional baseball.
Riptide general manager, Moe Geoghegan, is excited to add Kyle to the roster. “He’s just a freshman but making an impact for Top 10 team in the nation,” said Geoghegan. “CCL and Riptide fans are in for a real treat this summer—he’s a future big-time talent.”
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Photo credit – utsports.com
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