2025) -- Alejandro Osuna hit a solo home run and an RBI triple but the Frisco RoughRiders dropped their series opener versus the Wichita Wind Surge 5-4 on Tuesday afternoon from Riders Field Box Score Wichita (13-9) struck first when Kala'i Rosario flipped a sacrifice fly to put the Wind Surge up 1-0 Frisco (14-8) answered in the bottom of the fifth when Osuna ripped an RBI triple to tie the game at 1-1 Wichita then regained the lead in the top of the seventh when Olivar hit a two-run single to take a 3-1 lead Ben Ross hit an RBI double and Kyler Fedko hit an RBI single to put the Wind Surge in front 5-2 Osuna came through again in the last of the eighth when he corked a solo home run The Riders rallied in the bottom of the ninth when Keyber Rodriguez poked a two-run single to put Frisco within a run Wichita reliever Cody Lawyerson then struck out Frainyer Chavez to secure his third save of the season Wind Surge reliever Jarret Whorff (1-1) picked up the win while RoughRiders reliever Travis MacGregor (0-1) took the loss Frisco starter Daniel Missaki spun four innings allowing just one run on one hit while striking out four -Osuna extended his hitting streak to 12 games the longest active stretch in the Texas League and tied for fifth in Minor League Baseball he is batting .370 (17-for-46) with five extra-base hits and seven RBI -Aaron Zavala is now tied with Amarillo's Tommy Troy for the Texas League lead in walks (18) He has drawn a free pass in 13 of 16 games this season The Wind Surge and RoughRiders square off for game two of the series at 6:35 p.m Promotions include Wine Wednesday presented by Landon Winery For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200 The RoughRiders return home for six games against the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins affiliate) starting Tuesday Alberto Osuna did not get the result he was seeking with his latest legal move Osuna was denied his motion to expedite his request for reconsideration in his lawsuit against the NCAA for immediate eligibility in the 2025 college baseball season the NCAA responded to a ruling in Diego Pavia’s case that athletes who played JUCO for 1 or 2 years and had their eligibility exhausted in 2024-25 would be eligible for 2025-26 Osuna felt the NCAA should apply its JUCO waiver ruling to the 2025 baseball season which falls under the 2024-25 sports calendar and sued the NCAA for immediate eligibility On March 3, Osuna was denied his preliminary injunction. He recently filed a motion for reconsideration citing Rutgers football player Jett Elad receiving a 7th season of eligibility as a court agreed his JUCO season should not count and played 3 seasons at Ohio (2019-21) and 2 seasons at UNLV (2023-24) The 2025 college baseball season is winding down and the judge indicated that reconsideration won’t go well called out Osuna asking for reconsideration instead of appealing within the 30-day window Atchley said Osuna pointing to only 12 remaining games as reason for an expedited briefing “falls flat” when 33 Volunteers games had been played since the initial decision The Court denied Plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction on March 3 “Plaintiff had thirty days to appeal that order nearly two months after the Court denied his motion and nearly one month after his time to appeal expired Plaintiff filed a motion for reconsideration “Plaintiff also filed a separate motion asking the Court to expedite the briefing schedule on his motion for reconsideration Plaintiff requests an expedited briefing schedule because “there are only 12 regular season games left in the Spring 2025 baseball season.” That request falls flat “From the time the Court denied Plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction to the time he filed his motion for reconsideration Tennessee played 33 baseball games-far more than the 12 remaining games Plaintiff points to as grounds to support an expedited briefing schedule If the winding down of the regular season created the urgency Plaintiff now alleges he could have moved for reconsideration much earlier in time Osuna is over 5 seasons removed from high school He was at Walters State Community College in 2020 (no season due to COVID-19) and 2021 He then transferred to North Carolina for the 2022-24 seasons Not looking good for Tennessee baseball player Alberto Osuna's quest to play this season. This just rejects a motion to expedite his motion for reconsideration, but the judge seems to be signaling his feelings. (Plus this makes a decision before the end of the season unlikely) pic.twitter.com/j3PK4UHLrh Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects – Baseball America When Alberto Osuna first set foot on Tennessee’s campus in early February it was as if the uncertainty around him had no bearing whatsoever His situation was anything but sure or predictable The 24-year-old yanked himself from Division II Tampa just two weeks before first pitch instead diving headfirst into chaos to land at Tennessee In theory, Osuna’s plan was simple: secure a waiver for immediate eligibility, much like Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had done just months before his waiver for eligibility was denied by the NCAA Then his motions for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order were shot down in court.  he’s unlikely to play for Tennessee this season “This kid’s been through the ringer so far,” Tennessee strength coach Quentin Eberhardt told Baseball America It’s not like he’s walking around with his lip poking out or in a bad mood The kid’s the same person every day and it’s genuine… He’s handling it a lot better than I probably would have at 24.”  Osuna’s calm is a byproduct of his journey He knows he’s been fortunate to reach every stop the first baseman and designated hitter had only four junior college offers and picked Walters State Community College in Tennessee.  He wasn’t a star or even a regular starter appearing mostly off the bench in 19 games Then the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the remainder of his campaign.  But Osuna parlayed success playing in a small four-team summer ball league into a roaring sophomore season at Walters State where he hit .459 with 25 home runs and 107 RBIs After three productive seasons with the Tar Heels Osuna transferred to Tampa because of an NCAA rule that granted players who had spent the 2021 season at a junior college an extra year of non-Division I eligibility Osuna believed he he could regain another season of eligibility at college athletics’ highest level in 2025 that it was less of a risk that I wasn’t going to play,” Osuna told BA “We all felt that it was going to be for sure that I was going to play.” “I just knew this was the place I wanted to be,” Osuna said “It’s a great place for baseball and a growing community But Osuna hasn’t taken an at-bat in a game this season “I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t hard,” he said “Being on the phone for hours in the morning and then coming to the field and having my mind be everywhere—I just know I have baseball to separate that I learned in my fifth year that whenever I’m on the field it’s a blessing Every single day my mind clears and I’m able to enjoy it as much as I can While Osuna’s battle to gain eligibility has taken on a personal nature for Tennessee His case stemmed from the broader legal precedent set by Pavia’s ruling was granted an extra year of eligibility when the court ruled that junior college seasons should not count the same as Division I years under antitrust law That outcome led the NCAA to reluctantly issue a blanket waiver allowing athletes who exhausted their Division I eligibility at the end of the 2024 semester to receive another year But Osuna’s case falls into a legal gray area according to the two court rulings against him “This is all kind of uncharted territory,” said Sam C assistant professor of legal studies at Boise State University “The NCAA issued a blanket waiver covering athletes who exhausted their Division I eligibility at the end of this year That’s where Osuna and others are caught.” is essentially a test of the NCAA’s consistency “The NCAA doesn’t want this to expand further so they’re drawing the line as narrowly as possible.” With the legal process ultimately ruling in the NCAA’s favor Osuna and others like him were left with few options and long-shot odds of a favorable outcome “After the Blanket Waiver and conversations with you, I uprooted my life and moved to another city with the expectation that I could continue to play the game that I love,” Osuna wrote in a fiery letter to the NCAA “It was an amazing opportunity to have the chance to come play for coach Vitello and the defending national champions But I also came here for the NIL potential that didn’t exist at Tampa and to be able to help my family and I financially.” Osuna could appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court but the chances of a swift victory there are slim.  there’s certainly a legal argument to be made and he might even win at trial,” Ehrlich said “But the biggest limiting factor is just timing and courts don’t like to rush decisions like this It remains steadfast in its refusal to grant eligibility arguing that the previous ruling doesn’t apply to players like Osuna “If one student-athlete should be able to play And baseball has always been the easiest sport for the NCAA to pick on.” What do you do when you’ve spent your entire life training for something and then the answer was simple: find another way to contribute “I just want to help this team win,” he said “Even if I’m not the one hitting the home runs Younger players seek his guidance after a tough at-bat telling them that a bad day at the plate doesn’t define them trains and prepares like he’ll get the call to play even if he knows that call might never come making it impossible for anyone else to cut corners “Lets say you have a player who isn’t buying in as much as you wish,” Eberhardt said Berto makes it easier to say to other guys ‘Look at your brother to your right.’ He sets a great example.” His presence has been transformative for Tennessee’s culture “He’s given this team a calmness and maturity,” Vitello said “You can’t tell that he’s going through something tough,” he said When the Volunteers took the field for batting practice on Friday they wore shirts with the words ‘Free Berto’ emblazoned across the chest—an outward show of support for the player who has already given them so much which is weird because he came here to take guys’ at-bats and innings and yet everybody loves him.” his impact at Tennessee will last beyond this season Although he trains as if his name could appear in the next game’s lineup card he’s also transitioned into a coaching mindset absorbs knowledge at every turn and has built relationships with Tennessee’s staff that will serve him well when his playing days end “He’s gonna be a hell of a coach,” Eberhardt said Vitello feels a responsibility to ensure that “He could’ve stayed at Tampa and had an easier road,” Vitello said We owe it to him to make it worth his while.” His eligibility battle is part of a larger conversation about fairness in college athletics his case could set a precedent for future JUCO players in similar situations a responsibility he hadn’t quite pondered but appreciated His coach hopes his case can lead to more clarity “What definitely shouldn’t happen is there should not be stuff left up to interpretation,” Vitello said things are left up to interpretation and some of these kids don’t have the resources to hire a lawyer or if you’re at a D-II you may not even have a compliance person that you could go ask questions whether it’s by taking the field or by being the heartbeat of the dugout “If you told me we win a national championship but I don’t get to play Osuna’s impact at Tennessee might never be measured in stats or highlight reels or home run distances but in the way he’s lifted an entire program the admiration of his teammates and the way Tennessee’s program Osuna has already won something much bigger “I’ve been here a month and the support that this team we talk about names to know in the upcoming Top 100 Prospects update crown jewel of the 2024 international free agent class tops the Hot Sheet after slashing .533/.667/.867 last week Presenting 10 Statcast standouts from the past week of minor league action led by arguably the top pitching prospect in the game 1 team in the College Baseball Top 25 rankings after another wild weekend Cooper are taking a look at basement dwellers in the AL and NL BA college writers Jacob Rudner & Peter Flaherty break Chris Lemonis’ surprise firing at Mississippi State and lots more Geoff Pontes & Dylan White highlight prospects who could be playing themselves into the Fantasy Top 100 we talk about Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft slide and why it wouldn’t happen in the MLB Draft Ben and Carlos talk about Red Sox and Yankees pitchers with physicality and stuff who are off to hot starts in 2025 On this week’s episode of the Baseball America Draft Podcast Carlos and Peter hop on to briefly talk about their relationship to the NFL draft… Read the newest magazine issue right on your phone Alberto Osuna is trying again to gain eligibility with Tennessee baseball "Osuna has presented substantially the same evidence as Elad and Pavia (a case which the NCAA concedes is no different than Osuna’s) and there is no compelling justification for the difference in treatment," the filing declared April 28 "There is no fairness or justice in allowing Pavia and Elad to play while requiring Osuna to remain sidelined." Elad played two seasons at Ohio in 2020 and 2021 after redshirting in 2019 He spent one season at Garden City Community College in 2022 then transferred to UNLV for the 2023 and 2024 seasons Elad successfully argued that his year in junior college should not count toward his eligibility Osuna attempted to argue the same about his 2021 season at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. He was twice denied eligibility in court after he transferred to Tennessee in January Monday's motion is the first attempt to gain eligibility in court since the March 3 ruling the filing noted the decision in the Osuna case is the outlier because the courts in those cases reviewed testimony from the same expert witness − Dr Joel Maxcy − relied upon in Osuna's case and reached the same conclusion "This Court now has the opportunity to do what the NCAA will not – put meaning behind its hollow words," the court documents stated "The Middle District of Tennessee did it for Pavia on substantially the same evidentiary record The District of New Jersey did it for Elad on substantially the same evidentiary record In the interest of correcting a manifest injustice this Court can and should do it for Osuna." Osuna's case followed the legal argument made by Pavia who successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued who spent his first two seasons at Walters State hit .259 with 45 home runs and 140 RBIs in three seasons at North Carolina He argued that his 2021 season at Walters State should not count against his eligibility and he should be eligible to play at UT this season His 2020 season did not count against his eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic Osuna wrote an open letter to the NCAA on March 10 and shared it on social media after his second attempt to gain eligibility was denied He asked for eligibility while also ripping the NCAA for how it has handled his waiver pursuit The letter marked Osuna's first public comments following his transfer "You have denied me these opportunities even though I did what you said and I don't know what I could have done differently," Osuna wrote UT filed a waiver for Osuna in an attempt to gain eligibility on Feb the NCAA had yet to assign a representative to Osuna's case which prompted him to file a complaint against the NCAA on Feb Osuna simultaneously filed motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction VIBE: What is Tony Vitello's panic level after Tennessee baseball loses series at LSU? U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett took to the floor of the House on March 12 and demanding the NCAA allow Osuna to play for the Vols He implored the organization to "do the right dadgum thing." Vols coach Tony Vitello vowed to make Osuna's time at Tennessee matter after his motion for preliminary injunction was denied "I can’t do anything other than I can tell you this: We will make sure it is worth his while being at this place," Vitello said on March 4 -- Former junior college baseball player Alberto Osuna is going to federal court as he attempts to become eligible to play for defending national champion Tennessee this season Osuna played the 2021 season at Walters State Community College before transferring to North Carolina where he played for the past three seasons He's arguing that the year he spent at Walters State shouldn't cost him a season of Division I eligibility Osuna should be granted injunctive relief," Chad Hatmaker said in the complaint he filed Wednesday at the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee After spending this past season at North Carolina Osuna believed he had no more Division I eligibility and transferred to Division II program Tampa where he was part of the Spartans' team this past fall who led New Mexico Military Institute to a 2021 junior college national championship played at New Mexico State in 2022-23 before transferring to Vanderbilt He won an injunction in December enabling him to continue playing for Vanderbilt in 2025 Osuna believed he could get one more year of Division I eligibility so he entered the transfer portal and landed at Tennessee Osuna said Tennessee filed a waiver request on Osuna's behalf on Feb Tennessee opens its season Friday by hosting Hofstra he could not wait any longer for the NCAA to issue a decision on his waiver request," Hatmaker said in his complaint The NCAA has appealed the Pavia ruling but offered a waiver allowing athletes in similar situations to play in 2025-26 The NCAA said the waiver was for athletes "who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years to remain eligible and compete in 2025-26 if those student-athletes would have otherwise used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year and meet all other eligibility requirements (e.g. Hatmaker said that waiver wouldn't help out Osuna because baseball is a spring sport and its upcoming season doesn't take place during the 2025-26 school year "This arbitrary distinction harms Osuna and is another example of the NCAA's unlawful restrictions on the market for Division I athletics," Hatmaker's complaint said The argument made in Pavia's case and now in Osuna's case is that the NCAA bylaws violate the Sherman Act by restraining the free market The idea is that by counting the time they spent at junior colleges against their Division I eligibility it prevents them from profiting off the name image and likeness opportunities they would have received by playing a full four years at a Division I program Osuna batted .259 with a .359 on-base percentage 45 homers and 140 RBIs in 177 career games at North Carolina over the past three seasons He hit .281 with a .376 on-base percentage 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 62 games this past season while helping the Tar Heels reach the College World Series This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Two weeks after transferring to Tennessee and applying for a waiver for immediate eligibility, first baseman and designated hitter Alberto Osuna has taken his case to federal court The complaint is viewed as an escalation as Osuna pursues another season of collegiate eligibility He also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction who was expected to play for Division II Tampa as a graduate student this year joined the Volunteers two weeks before the start of the 2025 season Pending the approval of an eligibility waiver which Tennessee still expects to receive according to multiple sources Osuna will almost certainly contend for a starting role He remains enrolled in classes at Tennessee I think he’s waiting for clearance to be eligible,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello told reporters during a preseason media availability on Tuesday “I don’t even know of the specific terms halfway through the year and get everybody to like you and be on board with who you are The move is a byproduct of the NCAA’s Dec 23 decision to approve a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to former junior college transfers who previously “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years” and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season Osuna transferred to Tampa over the offseason after three years at North Carolina He began his collegiate career at Walters State Community College in 2020 Texas A&M star Jace LaViolette tops our list of college players to watch heading into July’s MLB Draft Osuna enjoyed a great deal of success throughout his stint in Chapel Hill where he ranks fifth all-time in career home runs (45) the slugger hit .281/.376/.537 with 14 home runs He also set career-best marks in runs scored (43) walks (33) and strikeout percentage (20.6%) Osuna appeared in all 62 of the Tar Heels’ games including in the College World Series where he faced the Volunteers SC native made a name for himself in 2021 at Walter State when he won NJCAA D-I player of the year honors who played 19 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season hit .459 with 25 home runs and a nation-leading 107 RBIs Osuna is the latest college athlete aiming to take advantage of NCAA’s waiver policy, which came on the heels of a mid-December court ruling that granted Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an extra year of eligibility Pavia’s attorney’s successfully argued that argued that the NCAA’s rule which counts a player’s time in junior college toward his overall years of NCAA eligibility violated antitrust laws and unfairly limited his ability to profit from his name Osuna’s complaint argues that the only difference between him and the Vanderbilt signal caller is that he plays a spring sport “I think the only difference in his case from the one that took place in the winter (Pavia) is that he plays baseball and the other guy plays football,” he said Many Division I coaches expressed to Baseball America that they feared the Pavia ruling’s impact on college baseball arguing that it threatened the actively accepted framework for team building this could be an advantage because you can get a two-year JUCO player who only counts as a freshman,” a high-major coach told BA “I think that part is cool and can obviously help you win But then there’s the other part of me that’s like At what point does someone get a hold of this thing?” College roster makeup was already in a state of flux prior to the Pavia ruling Division I programs will see their rosters trimmed from 40 players to 34 beginning in 2025-26 a rollback from the temporary expansion implemented to accommodate the surge of players who received an extra year of eligibility after the Covid-shortened 2020 season.  coaches might be allowed to carry 38 players during the fall but will be required to cut them down to 34 by Dec which all but guarantees a flood of mid-year transfer portal entrants even though current rules stipulate that they’d be ineligible for the spring season It’s all contributing to rising concern across coaching community.“We already have a number of significant friction points with the NCAA in college baseball,” a second high-major coach told BA “The new roster rules aren’t clear enough NIL is out of control and threatening the competitive balance throughout our sport Eligibility is no longer a straight-forward topic I think you can just add the Pavia stuff to the list -- Alberto Osuna's bid to play baseball for defending College World Series champion Tennessee hit a roadblock Thursday as a federal judge denied his bid for a temporary restraining order making him eligible for the start of the season District Judge Charles Atchley issued that ruling while also scheduling a Feb 26 hearing for Osuna's request for a preliminary injunction Osuna still could end up playing for Tennessee Osuna is suing the NCAA and making the case that a year he spent at Walters State Community College shouldn't count against his eligibility Osuna played the 2021 season at Walters State before transferring to North Carolina Because he believed he had no more Division I eligibility left after spending last season at North Carolina Then Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia won an injunction in court enabling him to play one more season next fall because a judge determined Pavia's season at New Mexico Military Institute shouldn't count against his Division I eligibility Noticing the similarities in his case and Pavia's situation Osuna entered the transfer portal and landed at Tennessee Atchley noted precedent indicating that requests for a temporary restraining order that would alter the status quo should be denied unless the facts and law clearly favor the party filing the motion "The lawsuit is one day old," Atchley noted and at this exceedingly early stage of litigation the court does not view the law to 'clearly favor' plaintiff." 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 62 games last season while helping the Tar Heels reach the College World Series Alberto Osuna wants to play some more baseball for defending national champion Tennessee. Elad played 2 seasons at Ohio in 2020 and 2021 after redshirting in 2019 He spent 1 season at Garden City Community College then transferred to UNLV for the 2023 and 2024 seasons Elad successfully argued that his year at Garden City Community College in 2022 should not count toward his eligibility Osuna has attempted to argue the same about his 2021 season at Walters State Community College in Morristown But he was twice denied eligibility in court after he transferred to Tennessee in January Osuna also played at the JUCO program in 2020 a season that does not count against his eligibility due to COVID-19 Because Elad and Pavia were granted eligibility the filing noted that the decision in the Osuna case is the outlier because the courts in those previous cases reviewed testimony from the same expert witness in Dr Joel Maxcy − who was relied on in Osuna’s case and reached the same conclusion Osuna’s case is following the legal argument that was made by Pavia, who successfully gained eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he filed suit a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com North Carolina’s Alberto Osuna leads off first base during the second inning against Arkansas in an NCAA college super regional baseball game in Chapel Hill Osuna sued the NCAA last month while making the case that a year he spent at Walters State Community College shouldn’t count against his eligibility District Judge Charles Atchley denied Osuna’s motion Monday “The Court is sympathetic to Plaintiff’s position,” Atchley said in his ruling “For an organization that professes to prioritize the well-being of its student-athletes the NCAA’s conduct has in many ways been questionable at best and self-interested at worst Plaintiff’s extraordinary talents cannot alone justify the extraordinary remedy he seeks.” The Monday ruling followed a preliminary injunction hearing last week “Alberto is extremely disappointed with the decision,” Chad Hatmaker “We are weighing our options before deciding on our next steps.” where he played for the last three seasons Noticing the similarities in his case and Pavia’s situation The argument made in Pavia’s case and now in Osuna’s case is that the NCAA bylaws violate the Sherman Act by restraining the free market Atchley said in his ruling that the court was facing “an uncertain and clearly evolving legal landscape.” “No binding precedent categorizes all NCAA eligibility rules as commercial in nature,” Atchley said blurs the lines between clearly commercial rules and those eligibility rules once thought to be explicitly non-commercial If the JUCO Rule is commercial because it affects student-athletes’ access to the NIL market then wouldn’t the same be true for all eligibility rules?” 45 homers and 140 RBIs in 177 career games at North Carolina over the last three seasons U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett took to the floor of the House on March 12 to demand the NCAA allow Alberto Osuna to play for Tennessee baseball The Knoxville Republican congressman repeatedly implored the NCAA to do the right thing by granting Osuna the eligibility he has been denied through a waiver attempt and in the court system Burchett's comments are the latest round of support for Osuna, who Monday posted a letter on social media to the NCAA asking for eligibility and ripping the NCAA for how it has handled his waiver pursuit The letter marks Osuna's only public comments since he transferred to Tennessee in January with hopes of gaining eligibility based on playing two seasons in junior college Current and former Tennessee players reposted the letter on their social media accounts shortly after Osuna posted it Burchett joined the fight alongside the Vols against the NCAA which he said has become a "bureaucratic machine and nightmare" that "continues to letdown student-athletes they claim to serve." “Despite following all the necessary steps to secure eligibility playing for the University of Tennessee the NCAA in their infinite wisdom has blocked his opportunity," Burchett said Osuna explained in his letter he uprooted his life to come to Tennessee where he expected he could "continue to play the game that I love." He wants to play for Tennessee but also pursue the NIL opportunities to help his family who "underwent back surgery and hasn’t been able to get back to 100%." He shredded the NCAA for how it handled his waiver process from phone calls in January to not reviewing his waiver after he transferred to not granting clarity during the process He accused the NCAA of acting against its claims to "protect and serve student-athletes." “If you were going to oppose my waiver all along why did you tell me to file one?” Osuna asked who spent his first two seasons at Walters State Community College RUSSELL: Why isn't AJ Russell pitching for Tennessee baseball? Tony Vitello updates pitcher's status Osuna's case followed the legal argument made by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia without any remaining Division I eligibility enrolled at Division II powerhouse Tampa for the fall semester 13 and ultimately chose to come to Tennessee hoping to play based on the legal path laid out by Pavia Alberto Osuna will not be eligible for Tennessee baseball when it opens the season Friday A judge denied Osuna's motion for a temporary restraining order that would have deemed him eligible to play for the Vols immediately according to documents obtained Thursday by Knox News The court scheduled an expedited hearing for Feb 26 in regards to Osuna's motion for a preliminary injunction Thus far, the court's decisions track the early stages of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's lawsuit Pavia's temporary restraining order also was denied He ultimately was granted a preliminary injunction and successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued Osuna filed a complaint against the NCAA in federal court on Wednesday as he seeks to regain a year of eligibility as a former junior college transfer No. 2 Tennessee opens the season against Hofstra on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Osuna will miss at least the first eight games of the season. His next hearing is two days before the Vols play in the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston If the court grants Osuna a preliminary injunction he would be eligible to play immediately for the Vols at coach Tony Vitello's discretion The first baseman played two seasons at Walters State Community College in Morristown in 2020 and 2021 before transferring to North Carolina for three seasons 245-pound Osuna is arguing his 2021 season at Walters State should not count against his eligibility and he should be eligible to play at UT this season The complaint notes Osuna and Pavia followed an identical eligibility timeline so the NCAA blanket waiver for former junior college players should apply to Osuna That it doesn't is an "arbitrary distinction" made by the NCAA because Osuna plays a spring sport and Pavia participates in a fall sport Osuna also Wednesday filed the motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the NCAA from enforcing eligibility rules stating "the need for injunctive relief is immediate" with Tennessee's season approaching It was denied with the court ruling Thursday largely citing the precedent set in the Pavia case in November despite the "compressed timeline." Tennessee filed a waiver to regain a year of eligibility on Osuna's behalf on Feb Chad Hatmaker and Kate Hutcherson of Woolf Allen & Carpenter in Knoxville are representing Osuna Osuna's lawsuit builds around an antitrust claim as Pavia's did declaring the NCAA and its bylaws act in a manner that prevent Osuna from maximizing his potential both on the field and in NIL earnings Osuna has already received an NIL opportunity at UT that exceeds any NIL opportunities he has previously had Pavia's temporary restraining order was denied in November and an expedited hearing requesting a preliminary injunction was scheduled Pavia was granted a preliminary injunction in December that will allow him an extra year of eligibility The NCAA Division I Board of Directors then approved an additional year of eligibility for junior college transfers who otherwise would have exhausted their eligibility following the 2024-25 season ROSTER: Projecting Tennessee baseball's 2025 lineup, rotation under Tony Vitello Osuna's Division I eligibility expired following the 2024 season His first season at Walters State in 2020 was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not count against his eligibility He used his four years of eligibility with one at Walters State and three at North Carolina Osuna enrolled Division II powerhouse Tampa for the fall semester without remaining Division I eligibility He transferred to Tennessee and joined the Vols on Feb The documents allege that Osuna repeatedly sought guidance from the NCAA following the Pavia ruling in December He was told a Division I school would have to file on his behalf native was a terror at the plate at Walters State earning NJCAA DI Player of the Year honors He hit .459 with 25 homers and led the nation with 107 RBIs in 2021 Osuna hit .259 with 45 homers and 140 RBIs in three seasons at North Carolina primarily as a designated hitter Advertise with us • Contact Us • RTI Team Tennessee baseball’s Alberto Osuna is again seeking one final year of eligibility through legal matters Osuna filed a motion of reverse memorandum opinion Monday following the Friday decision of Jett Elad v A District Court in New Jersey ruled with Rutgers football player Jett Elad in a case which stated the NCAA can’t hold junior college seasons against college athletes five years of NCAA eligibility Elad— who spent three seasons at Ohio another at a junior college and two more at UNLV before transferring to Rutgers this offseason— has a similar case for eligibility as Osuna Both have an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 eligibility relief and junior college years counting against them (one for Elad and two for Osuna) Osuna played the first two years of his college career at Walters State Community College before transferring to North Carolina where he was a three year starter for the Tar Heels The slugger transferred to Tennessee in January seeking eligibility on the same grounds that Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and now Elad gained it first on his request for a temporary restraining order and later with a Knoxville judge denying his request for a preliminary injunction that would have granted him immediate eligibility Osuna penned an open letter to the NCAA asking for them to grant him eligibility but that has yet to happen “If you were going to oppose my waiver all along, why did you tell me to file one?” Osuna asked the NCAA. “Why did you allow me to enter the transfer portal Why did you let all of the student-athletes in their last season of competition at a Division II institution enter the portal Why would you not provide clarity when I asked for it … How is the NCAA harmed by letting me play But I am irreparably harmed by not getting to play in my final season.” Osuna was a three-year starter for North Carolina at both first base and designated hitter The right-handed bat combined to hit .259 with 32 doubles 45 home runs and 140 RBIs in his three seasons at North Carolina Osuna hit .281 with 17 doubles,14 home runs and 56 RBIs on the Tar Heels run to the College World Series Despite not joining Tennessee’s roster until two weeks before first pitch Osuna was a favorite to start for the Vols Tennessee baseball is 35-9 (13-8 SEC) entering the home stretch of the regular season after entering the month as the unanimous No Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Alberto Osuna isn't done trying to play for Tennessee baseball this season The Vols first baseman posted a letter on social media Monday to the NCAA asking for eligibility while also ripping the NCAA for how it has handled his waiver pursuit “This is your opportunity to prioritize the well-being of student-athletes,” Osuna wrote “Grant me my immediate eligibility because it is the right thing to do Because doing so would align with the principles student-athlete welfare that you say your organization prioritizes more than anything else.” The letter marks Osuna's only public comments since he transferred to Tennessee in January with hopes of gaining eligibility based on playing two seasons in junior college Osuna explained he uprooted his life to come to Tennessee Alberto Osuna's eligibility with Tennessee baseball denied by court twiceOsuna's motion for a preliminary injunction was denied on March 3 as his second effort to play in 2025 was thwarted "You left me with no choice but to go to court pay thousands and thousands of dollars that I cannot afford to fight to play this year or forfeit my remaining eligibility because you refused to help me," Osuna wrote Osuna's case followed the legal argument made by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia "We are the same as Diego Pavia," Osuna wrote of himself and other athletes hoping for eligibility under the blanket waiver “Alberto is extremely disappointed with the decision We are weighing our options before deciding on our next steps," Osuna's lawyer Chad Hatmaker said to Knox News in a statement It is unlikely Osuna will gain eligibility through any potential future legal steps in time to play for Tennessee this season after his second effort to play in 2025 was thwarted Why was Alberto Osuna's motion for preliminary injunction denied?Osuna's best bet to gain eligibility was by winning a preliminary injunction Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was awarded eligibility at the same stage of his legal battle with the NCAA in December which led to a blanket waiver for former junior college athletes and Osuna's case mirrored Pavia but the outcome did not of the United States Court of the Eastern District of Tennessee denied Osuna's motion on the grounds that Osuna's case failed to show a strong likelihood of success on its antitrust claims against the NCAA because it did not establish significant anticompetitive effects of the bylaws counting junior college years as years of NCAA eligibility Preliminary injunctions require an argument to prove a strong likelihood of success in order to be granted "(Osuna's) extraordinary talents cannot alone justify the extraordinary remedy he seeks," Atchley wrote argued last week that the NCAA is creating an anticompetitive marketplace and causing irreparable harm to Osuna by preventing him from regaining a year of eligibility from his seasons at Walters State SHARP: Brayden Sharp came home to Texas and proved who he is as Tennessee baseball pitcher Atchley held there is not enough evidence to declare the rules are anticompetitive He had "little doubt" Hatmaker's argument "created a factual dispute .. but that is not enough." He repeatedly indicated that a "quick look" at the anticompetitive argument was not sufficient to prove substantial effects and that presented the "highest hurdle" for Osuna's case to prove "None of this is to say (Osuna) cannot ultimately succeed on the merits," Atchley wrote But the odds of winning are stacked against Osuna Atchley wrote "the court is sympathetic" to Osuna's position in his Monday ruling He also declared that the NCAA's conduct "has in many ways been questionable at best and self-interested at worst" for an organization that preaches caring about student-athletes Osuna based his pursuit of eligibility on the legal argument made by Pavia, who successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued PITCHING: How Tennessee baseball's pitching staff carved Houston tournament: 'A bunch of alpha males' He used his four years of eligibility with one at Walters State in 2021 and three at North Carolina from 2022-24 native enrolled at Division II powerhouse Tampa for the fall semester without remaining Division I eligibility "I can’t do anything other than I can tell you this: We will make sure it is worth his while being at this place," the Vols coach said after No. 1 Tennessee beat Radford 22-9 on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Osuna's motion for a preliminary injunction was denied Monday It is unlikely the first baseman will gain eligibility through any potential future legal steps in time to play for Tennessee this season after his second effort to play in 2025 was thwarted I don’t have a reaction," Vitello said of his reaction to the ruling I’d like to know what that is because all I have gotten out of you guys is it is straightforward and it is this — I don’t see how it is straightforward." Osuna's Division I eligibility expired following the 2024 season at UNC He argued his 2021 season at Walters State should not count against his eligibility and he should be eligible to play at UT this season Osuna transferred to Tennessee in late January and arrived in Knoxville on Feb He was welcomed with open arms by the coaches and teammates despite arriving close to the start of the season "To come in halfway through the year and get everybody to like you and be on board with who you are is not easy," Vitello said on Feb. 11 That is the big thing from my standpoint." UT filed a waiver in an attempt to gain eligibility on Feb which prompted Osuna to file a complaint against the NCAA on Feb His case followed the legal argument made by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued Osuna was denied a temporary restraining order on Feb deeming him ineligible when Tennessee opened the season We are weighing our options before deciding on our next steps," Hatmaker said in a statement to Knox News Monday Osuna played two seasons at Walters State Community College in Morristown in 2020 and 2021 He transferred to North Carolina for three seasons 245-pound Osuna enrolled at Division II powerhouse Tampa for the fall semester without remaining Division I eligibility 13 and ultimately chose to come to Tennessee hoping to play based on the legal path laid out by Pavia Alberto Osuna has filed a complaint against the NCAA in federal court in his pursuit of an added year of eligibility according to documents obtained Wednesday by Knox News Osuna, a former junior college first baseman who transferred to Tennessee in late January, is following the legal argument made by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued Osuna should be granted injunctive relief," the documents state Osuna played two seasons at Walters State Community College in Morristown in 2020 and 2021 before transferring to North Carolina for three seasons Osuna is arguing his 2021 season at Walters State should not count against his eligibility and he should be eligible to play at UT this season Osuna also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the NCAA from enforcing eligibility rules 2 Tennessee opens the season against Hofstra on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Coach Tony Vitello said Tuesday that the first baseman has not been granted eligibility by the NCAA “I think the only difference in his case from the one that took place in the winter is he plays baseball the other guy played football," Vitello said It stands to reason Osuna's case could follow the same pattern PITCHING: Tony Vitello announces Tennessee baseball starting pitchers for Hofstra series 245-pound Osuna entered the transfer portal on Jan LINEUP: Projecting Tennessee baseball's 2025 lineup, rotation under Tony Vitello She is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Texas at El Paso with an emphasis on Indigenous and Latinx Environmentalisms explores aesthetics of desert places in literature and film and their impacts on cultural imagination and geopolitical relationships to land.​ is forthcoming from Texas Tech University Press in 2025 and possibilities of arid environments of the US-Mexico Borderlands in order to dispel harmful representations of deserts as barren or empty Desert distortion is offered as a generative methodology that performs and showcases abundance as a counter to lack It is informed by her experiences growing up in El Paso She is also a co-editor for Storied Deserts: Reimagining Global Arid Lands an environmental humanities collection interested in the world’s deserts As a result of this project she has become increasingly committed to learning about desert communities around the planet and hopes to continue international and interdisciplinary collaborations like the “Ecologies of Justice” symposium she co-hosted with colleagues Dr Future writing projects include a chapter for the Oxford Handbook of Thoreau in which she puts the nineteenth century author’s essay “Walking” in conversation with US-Mexico migrant border crossing in the twenty-first century and a chapter for the edited volume Sheridan’s Wests where she investigates the limits of law and lawlessness in the extreme environments that make the setting for Sicario and Wind River she encourages care about the various communities Email: cosuna3@utep.edu Alberto Osuna is awaiting a ruling on his case to gain eligibility to play for Tennessee baseball even as lawyers for Osuna and for the NCAA submitted filings Friday The filings followed a Friday ruling in Georgia that denied Bulldogs outfielder Dylan Goldstein's motion for a preliminary injunction Goldstein and Osuna both are seeking to regain a year of eligibility after starting their careers in junior college The NCAA submitted the Goldstein ruling in a notice Friday stating the case in the United States District Court of Middle District of Georgia addressed "identical issues to those pending before" the Eastern District of Tennessee Osuna's legal team, headed by Chad Hatmaker of the Knoxville-based firm Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter, countered that Osuna's case mirrors the case of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia Pavia successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver in December after he sued "This case is Pavia," Hatmaker wrote Friday "The only conceivable difference between Osuna and Pavia is that Osuna plays baseball." Hatmaker noted the threshold for injunctive relief in the Eleventh Circuit requires "some likelihood" of irreparable harm The distinction suggests the ruling in the Goldstein case does not indicate Osuna will be denied injunctive relief The judge in Goldstein's case declared NCAA eligibility rules "are not commercial in nature," which was a main argument during the court proceedings Wednesday in Osuna's hearing Hatmaker has noted such beliefs are outdated in the NIL era and the bylaws are commercial a statement that rang true in the Pavia ruling and other court decisions "The horse is out of the barn and doing laps around the barn," Hatmaker said of NIL during Wednesday's hearing Hatmaker's Friday filing also detailed a greater volume of evidence compared to the Goldstein case including declarations from Vols coach Tony Vitello and pending NIL deals for Osuna Osuna's case also features a report from an economics expert RETURN: Inside AJ Russell's return to Tennessee baseball against North Alabama "Osuna has offered at least as much evidence as Pavia (and in fact more)," Hatmaker wrote Osuna transferred to Tennessee in late January with hopes of regaining eligibility at the Division I level based on the Pavia ruling He used one year of eligibility at Walters State in 2021 and three at North Carolina from 2022 to 2024 native hit .259 with 45 homers and 140 RBIs in three seasons at North Carolina Osuna enrolled at Division II powerhouse Tampa for the fall semester without remaining Division I eligibility Lucas Osuna's father wrote on Facebook that his son — who died on Friday March 28 — lived in "true superhero fashion" Tennessee baseball players are wearing their support for first baseman Alberto Osuna. Osuna, who transferred to Tennessee from North Carolina, is not currently eligible for the Vols. A judge denied Osuna's motion for a preliminary injunction to regain eligibility to play this season for the Vols (17-0) on March 3 Teammates donned warmup shirts in his support for Tennessee's SEC opener against Florida (16-2) on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium The bright orange shirts had a photo of Osuna on it with "Free Berto" across the front It is unlikely Osuna will become eligible through any potential future legal steps in time to play for the Vols this season. He made two efforts to play and was denied both times. The motion for a temporary restraining order was denied on Feb UT filed a waiver on Feb. 3 in an attempt to gain eligibility, but the NCAA had yet to assign a representative to Osuna's case as of Feb. 11. With the season starting Feb. 14, Osuna filed a complaint against the NCAA on Feb which is when he also filed motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction Osuna spent his first two seasons at Walters State Community College before playing three seasons at North Carolina VITELLO: Tony Vitello vows to make Alberto Osuna's time with Tennessee baseball 'worth his while' On Monday, Osuna posted a letter on social media ripping the NCAA for how it handled the situation The letter was his only public comment since he transferred to Tennessee Osuna's case followed the legal argument made by Diego Pavia The Vanderbilt quarterback was successful in his pursuit to regain eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued Tennessee transfer slugger Alberto Osuna filed a complaint against the NCAA in a federal court on Wednesday just two days before the start of the 2025 season Osuna is currently ineligible to play this season after exhausting his Division-I eligibility last season The power hitting first baseman spent two season at Walters State Junior College before transferring and playing three seasons at North Carolina Osuna is claiming the NCAA’s eligibility rules are in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act Osuna’s complaint is the same that Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia filed against the NCAA in November A federal judge eventually ruled in favor of Pavia who played two seasons at a junior college and forced the NCAA to grant him another year of eligibility the NCAA gave a blanket waiver to former junior college athletes who completed their third year of Division-I eligibility during the 2024-25 academic year But they did not extend that waiver to athletes like Osuna who exhausted their third year of eligibility during the 2024-25 academic year National Collegiate Athletic Association argues that the ruling should be extended to Osuna’s case due to the similar track records of Pavia and Osuna “Although Pavia and Osuna have identical collegiate eligibility records (one year disregarded for COVID-19 extend relief to Osuna,” the complaint states collegiate baseball is played in the Spring Osuna must use his fourth year of Division I eligibility during the Spring 2025 baseball season Because the NCAA Blanket Waiver extends eligibility only to athletes using their fourth year of Division I eligibility for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 seasons This arbitrary distinction harms Osuna and is another example of the NCAA’s unlawful restrictions on the market for Division I athletics.” Meeting with the media to preview Tennessee’s season-opening series against Hofstra Vols’ head coach Tony Vitello echoed the same sentiment “The only difference in this case (Diego Pavia case) from the one that took place in the winter is he plays baseball and the other guy plays football,” Vitello said on Tuesday The NCAA’s argument will likely be that Osuna exhausted his eligibility in a prior academic year and that if Osuna gets an extra year of eligibility that would have to apply to any athlete that ever played junior college sports and is now out of Division-I eligibility Osuna also filed for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA that would keep them from enforcing their eligibility rules effectively making the incoming Tennessee transfer immediately eligible Pavia also filed for a temporary restraining order in November but that was denied South Carolina native getting a temporary restraining order approved is much more significant than in Pavia’s case with the 2025 season only two days away Despite not joining Tennessee’s roster until two weeks before first pitch Osuna is the favorite to start at first base for the Vols this season Tennessee baseball and coach Tony Vitello could have an answer at first base two weeks out from opening day Former North Carolina slugger Alberto Osuna has transferred to Tennessee from Division II powerhouse Tampa and is expected to regain Division I eligibility a source with direct knowledge told Knox News on Friday The source requested anonymity because Osuna has not indicated his plans publicly Osuna arrived in Knoxville on Saturday and is already enrolled He hit .259 with 45 homers and 140 RBIs in three seasons at UNC before transferring to Tampa Osuna transferred to Tampa with his Division I eligibility having expired but is expected to have eligibility at UT and the Division I level again due to playing two seasons of junior college at Walters State prior to joining the Tar Heels The right-handed hitter is seeking added eligibility through the NCAA granting blanket waivers to former junior college transfers following the Diego Pavia lawsuit the Vanderbilt quarterback and former junior college transfer was granted a preliminary injunction that will allow him an extra year of eligibility The Vols open the season with a three-game series against Hofstra starting Feb Osuna could take over at first base for Tennessee Senior Alex Perry was the potential starter, but he stepped away from the program to deal with a personal matter freshman Levi Clark and redshirt freshman Stone Lawless are the leading options as the roster stands RUSSELL: When Tony Vitello expects AJ Russell to pitch for Tennessee in 2025 after Tommy John surgery 245-pound Osuna hit .281 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs last season on North Carolina's College World Series team He struck out 206 times in 644 at-bats at UNC but had his lowest career strikeout rate last season He hit .459 with 25 homers and led the nation with 107 RBIs He was the first player in program history to have 100 RBIs in a season and broke the school record for hits with 106 Osuna is the fifth player to transfer to Tennessee which has landed another stacked transfer class He joins infielder Gavin Kilen (Louisville) and third baseman Andrew Fischer (Ole Miss) as hitters who transferred to UT KILEN: Tennessee infielder Gavin Kilen named SEC's top transfer by Baseball America Kilen earned All-ACC third-team honors for the Cardinals after he hit .330 with nine homers 41 RBIs and scored 71 runs in 56 games in 2024 UT brought in pitchers Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin from Ole Miss and Kennesaw State was 3-4 with a 5.73 ERA with the Rebels in 2024 as the Saturday starter He struck out 84 in 55 innings with 22 walks in 16 games with 11 starts had a 6.34 ERA in 34 games with three starts in two seasons product struck out 61 in 38⅓ innings and had 40 walks MIAMI – A west Miami-Dade County preparatory school is mourning the death of a sophomore student-athlete Leer en español played water polo for Belen Jesuit Preparatory School and died suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday The Miami Whitecaps Water Polo Club told Local 10 News that Osuna had played with their club team since sixth grade and that parents and referees attempted to perform lifesaving measures on him that were ultimately unsuccessful family and friends described Osuna as kind and genuine “We will pray for the repose of his soul and the comfort of those he loved and loved him.” Osuna’s father shared a family photo while saying in a statement that in true super hero fashion and overcoming all the obstacles life threw in his way Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he was a longtime family friend and especially to Lucas’ family and friends please know that Miami stands with you in this time of unimaginable loss.” There are some reports indicating that this happened during a water polo tournament but the exact cause of death still remains unclear Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved Michaila Hightower joined the Local 10 News team in January 2025 as a reporter TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report Do Not Sell My Info 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. A couple of minutes before 7:00 PM on April 12 a crash was reported on I-25 southbound near Osuna/San Mateo Initial communications suggested that this was an accident involving a vehicle and a motorcycle The accident was said to have occurred on the off-ramp Officers from the Albuquerque Police Department and rescue crews from Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to the scene officers from APD found one patient in cardiac arrest and another patient with life-threatening injuries APD officers promptly initiated life-saving efforts the first responders successfully resuscitated the accident victim who was in cardiac arrest Both patients were transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital we do not have an updated status on the injured accident victims either from the Albuquerque Police Department or New Mexico State Police are believed to have closed the I-25 southbound off-ramp at Osuna/San Mateo at the time of the crash If we learn more about this crash or the condition of those involved in the accident The NMSP handled the investigation on this crash We subsequently learned that one rider died from their injuries Please Request Permission Before Disseminating on Other Social Media Platforms We also need your support in keeping local journalism alive Go to https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=ZRPKF56W3ATGS That exit ramp on SB I-25 @ San Mateo is a hoot It’s one of the last Cloverleaf ramps that turns 360 degrees Would not surprise me if a couple of knuckle heads were racing towards the exit and ended up launching off that berm I am a family member of time couple that was hit on the off ramp from I-25 to osuna/San Mateo on Saturday night Dan Rivera was killed and his wife was seriously injured We are trying to find out who was the driver of the car who hit them from behind and caused this awhile accident None of the news stations are reporting that it was a hit and run If you can report any info… greatly appreciated I worked with Dan just before he retired a few weeks ago and we are just devastated to hear this tragic news You must be logged in to post a comment Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive Alberto Osuna transferred to Tennessee in late February just weeks prior to the start of the 2025 season Under the assumption that former JUCO players would be granted another year of Division I eligibility Osuna made his way to Knoxville with hopes of completing his eligibility with the defending national championships Osuna has been sidelines – ruled ineligible – following the eligibility waiver denial by the NCAA and coming up short in court following options of a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction The latest in this long developing story brings us to Monday April 28 when Osuna’s lawyer Chad Hatmaker filed for a motion for reconsideration to the Knoxville judge who denied his preliminary injunction motion back in March Why file for a motion of reconsideration this late in the game? Look no further than Big 10 country where Rutgers safety Jett Elad won his motion for preliminary injunction on Friday and has been ruled eligible for the 2025 football season. Much like Osuna, Elad – who transferred to Rutgers from UNLV – played a season at Garden City Community College (JUCO) in 2022 and argued that should not count towards his eligibility. Osuna was with Walters State Community College in 2020 and 2021 before spring three years at North Carolina from 2022-2024.        It’s important to note as well that Osuna’s team has the same expert witness as did Pavia and Elad. Osuna, whoever, is the only one who did not win injunction. “There is no fairness or justice in allowing Pavia and Elad to play, while requiring Osuna to remain sidelined. As this Court has already found, allowing Osuna to play at this point harms nobody.” On Wednesday, February 12, Osuna filed a complaint against the NCAA in federal court seeking another year of eligibility, according to documents obtained by Volquest. “Osuna brings this action to enjoin the NCAA from arbitrarily enforcing certain NCAA Bylaws against him that would prohibit him from playing a fourth year of Division I baseball due to his time spent playing baseball at a two-year junior college (“JUCO”), on the grounds that enforcement of such bylaws violates Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C § 1, among other claims, and would cause substantial and irreparable harm to Osuna,” the complaint states. The motion was for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the NCAA to ‘restrain and enjoin’ the NCAA from enforcing NCAA Bylaws 12.8 and 12.02.6 against Osuna to prevent him from playing Division I college baseball in the spring of 2025 season, based on prior participation on a junior college baseball team. The pleadings were filed Wednesday morning, February 12, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. One day later on Thursday, February 13, Osuna’s temporary restraining order was denied but a preliminary injunction court hearing was expedited to February 26. Following the court hearing in Knoxville regarding Alberto Osuna’s motion for preliminary injunction, the judge in the case ruled the following Monday afternoon. The motion for preliminary injunction was denied and Alberto Osuna continued to be ineligible for the 2025 college baseball season.    “Alberto is extremely disappointed with the decision. We are weighing our options before deciding on our next steps,” Alberto Osuna’s lawyer Chad Hatmaker told Volquest at the time. Top 101Shane BeamerPuts NCAA on blast Hot3Trump By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms and use of my personal information described therein A week following his preliminary injunction denial sent the NCAA a letter formally requesting they approve his transfer request so he can begin playing baseball with Tennessee  “I have many unanswered questions and I need your help,” Osuna writes to open the letter “After the Blanket Waiver and conversations with you I uprooted by life and moved to another city with the expectation that I could continue to play the game that I love It was an amazing opportunity to have the chance to come play for Coach Vitello and the defending national champions A big piece of the note details the lack of cooperation and communication from the NCAA once Osuna officially transferred to Tennessee The slugger needed to first transfer – which he did in late January – and then the university (Tennessee) had to file for an eligibility waiver to begin the process It did so in the first few days of February As of two days prior to the season-opener on February 12 the NCAA had yet to assign a case manager to Osuna “When I called several times at the beginning of January and asked about my Division I eligibility I told you my entire playing history – 2 years at Walters State with one cancelled due to COVID 3 at UNC and that I was currently at Tampa on the team but no games against outside competition,” Osuna continued you knew that no student-athlete can file a waiver individually you have opposed my request for a waiver.”   The first baseman and designated hitter spent two seasons at nearby Walters Sate Community College in 2020 and 2021 before transferring up to North Carolina Osuna played in 63 games with 61 starts in 2022 slugging 20 home runs and 57 runs batted in with 86 strikeouts and 27 walks while registering a .265 batting average 245-pound athlete hit for a .223 average across 52 games (48 starts) with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 2023 Osuna recorded a .259 average across 62 games (62 starts) with 14 home runs and 56 RBI Osuna was named the 2021 NJCAA D1 Player of the Year a first team All-American and the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Player of the Year while batting .459 with 25 home runs and 107 RBI (led the country) in 68 games Osuna attended Mauldin High School in South Carolina where he was an All-State player The slugger was primarily used as the designated hitter while at North Carolina but he’s expected to be an option at first base as well for the Vols in the 2025 season Dalton Bargo and Stone Lawless at first base Osuna will be an option at first base as well as designated hitter for Tennessee Another option at first base includes freshman Levi Clark who has already done damage in the lineup as designated hitter and as a pinch hitter Alex Perry is not with the club this spring after spending the 2024 season in Knoxville. 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Hot3Trump, Saban blastedNIL order ripped On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media The latest addition of Tennessee athletics battling the NCAA in the court room began on Wednesday when new Vol slugger Alberto Osuna filed a complaint against the college sports governing body as he seeks an additional year of eligibility Osuna transferred to Tennessee just under two weeks ago after spending the fall semester at Division-II power University of Tampa The power-hitting first baseman spent his first two college season at Walters State Junior College and the next three years at North Carolina But then Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia won a lawsuit against the NCAA where a federal court ruled that the NCAA can not legally enforce its bylaws stating that a junior college season counts NCAA eligibility and a multitude of other college athletes who spent years at junior colleges After losing the injunction in the Pavia case the NCAA provided a blanket waiver to former JUCO athletes who used their third-year of Division-I during the 2024-25 school year Since Osuna used his third-year of Division-I eligibility during the 2023-24 academic year The NCAA has not explained why they have not extended the blanket waiver to players affected in the 2023-24 academic calendar deciding what year they would make the cutoff is likely a major reason why Pavia and Osuna both have the same eligibility usage too Each played two season at a junior college and then three years at a Division-I program The frustration of different rules being applied to two players in similar situations was outlined in the Osuna complaint collegiate baseball is played in the Spring,” the lawsuit states This arbitrary distinction harms Osuna and is another example of the NCAA’s unlawful restrictions on the market for Division I athletics.” Another reason for frustration from Osuna is the lack of clarity and transparency from the NCAA throughout the process Osuna sought guidance from the NCAA on what the ruling meant for his own eligibility But the NCAA told Osuna that a waiver request must be made if he “wanted an answer regarding his eligibility.” Only Division-I schools can file a waiver meaning Osuna had to leave Tampa and unroll at a Division-I school before the NCAA would tell him whether or not he would be eligible Tennessee filed the waiver for Osuna on Feb 11 the NCAA had yet to assign a representative to Osuna’s case The Vols open up their 2025 season on Friday 14 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium against Hofstra Osuna will not be eligible the opening weekend of the season The former North Carolina slugger transferred to Tennessee on Jan. 31 as he pursues an added year of eligibility that would allow him to play in the 2025 season especially a kid as good as that — you’d hope whether it is his case or someone else’s —  you’d like to see guys be able to use their last year of eligibility," Vitello said The No. 2 Vols open the season with a three-game series against Hofstra starting Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Osuna hit .259 with 45 homers and 140 RBIs in three seasons at North Carolina as a first baseman and designated hitter He will be in the mix to start at either position if he gains eligibility Alberto Osuna waiting on NCAA eligibility with Tennessee baseballOsuna enrolled at Division II Tampa in the fall with his Division I eligibility having expired He is expected to have eligibility at UT and the Division I level again due to playing two seasons of junior college at Walters State prior to joining the Tar Heels The expectation led to his transfer to Tennessee “I think that was a decision based on what his ambitions are," Vitello said "Most kids talk pro ball or individual first once the portal situation started with him every comment as it relates to his future or his last year of eligibility seems to center around winning and team.” 1 and took part in his first scrimmage on Feb He hit a homer in his second at-bat against freshman Stratton Scott He kept slugging during UT's final three-game weekend scrimmage series He has made an even bigger impression as a person "To come in halfway through the year and get everybody to like you and be on board with who you are is not easy," Vitello said STADIUM: Tennessee baseball's Lindsey Nelson Stadium ready to open 2025 as construction continues Vitello praised the connection Osuna has with the Tar Heels stating Osuna and Tar Heels coach Scott Forbes have a "family relationship." Hunter Ensley sat in the United States Courthouse in downtown Knoxville on Wednesday "Let him get the opportunity to become a Tennessee legend," said Chad Hatmaker Osuna's lawyer from Knoxville-based firm Woolf pitching coach Frank Anderson and Ensley attended the hearing The judge indicated a ruling would not be finalized Wednesday NCAA needs to 'hold up to its words,' says Alberto Osuna's lawyerHatmaker argued that the NCAA is creating an anticompetitive marketplace and causing irreparable harm to Osuna by preventing him from regaining a year of eligibility from his seasons at Walters State Community College Penalizing a player for going to junior college means an athlete is not free to decide if junior college is best for them because it costs eligibility He stressed that fair and inclusive are key words in the NCAA bylaws but they need to be backed up lest they be "propaganda." "Make the NCAA hold up to its words," Hatmaker said The NCAA argued eligibility rules are set to establish "continuity of the product." The NCAA did not have a firm response when asked how it could provide relief for any alleged harm to Osuna if he was not ruled eligible Hatmaker stressed the NCAA is in control of the only market for legitimate NIL compensation By enforcing a penalty on junior college athletes the NCAA "wants to turn back the clock to pre-NIL days," he wrote He noted Wednesday that NIL opportunities are available to Osuna including one with Knoxville-based Bed'r Mattress but his ability to earn NIL is limited without eligibility Tennessee provides the best opportunity for Osuna both on and off the field because it is the defending national champions and possesses an elite fan base He used court filings from former Tennessee outfielder Griffin Merritt to show how players gain mentors and propel their careers by playing at UT The NCAA contested that NIL in baseball pales in comparison to football to which Hatmaker used Ensley as an example He said Ensley is making 20 times more in NIL following his highlight catch against North Carolina and game-winning slide against Texas A&M in the College World Series He pointed to players choosing to return to college in favor of turning professional indicating there is economic value better than turning professional for some athletes Osuna has the opportunity become a household name at Tennessee and earn notable NIL deals RUSSELL: Inside AJ Russell's return to Tennessee baseball against North Alabama The NCAA is not harmed," Hatmaker said of Osuna's desire for eligibility Osuna, who transferred to Tennessee in late January, is following the legal argument made by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who successfully recovered eligibility from seasons he played in junior college when the NCAA granted him a waiver after he sued He used his four years of eligibility with one at Walters State in Morristown in 2021 and three at North Carolina from 2022-24 native hit .259 with 45 homers and 140 RBIs in three seasons at North Carolina primarily as a designated hitter A Knoxville judge has denied Tennessee slugger Alberto Osuna’s request for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA according to documents obtained by RTI on Thursday Osuna filed a complaint against the NCAA on Wednesday claiming they’re violating Sherman Antitrust Act in keeping him ineligible to play the 2025 season at the moment Part of Osuna’s complaint was a request for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA which would keep the governing body from enforcing its eligibility rule in the case and would make Osuna eligible for Friday afternoon’s season opener against Hofstra A local judge denied the temporary restraining order meaning Osuna will remain ineligible for the time being 26 to review Osuna’s request for a preliminary injunction Osuna’s case is a very similar to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia who won a lawsuit against the NCAA in December with a court ruling that the NCAA can not legally enforce its bylaws stating that a junior college season counts NCAA eligibility The transfer first baseman is seeking another year of eligibility after playing just three seasons of Division-I baseball at North Carolina Osuna previously played two seasons of baseball at Walters State Junior College though though one year was covered by COVID-19 eligibility relief 31 exactly two weeks before the start of the 2025 season Tennessee filed a waiver for Osuna’s eligibility the following Monday The slugger hit a career-best 20 home runs during the 2022 season “The Rock” on the University of Tennessee campus has long been a way for students to post public messages. On Monday, students used “The Rock” to send a message of support of Tennessee baseball’s Alberto Osuna to the NCAA A power hitting first baseman and designated hitter Osuna transferred to Tennessee in January after spending the fall at Division II power the University of Tampa Osuna was out of Division I eligibility after playing two seasons at Walters State Community College and three seasons at North Carolina But after the NCAA granted Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an extra-year of eligibility on the argument that junior college seasons can not count against an athlete’s Division I eligibility Osuna entered the transfer portal and eventually landed at Tennessee South Carolina native reached out to the NCAA asking for guidance on whether the Pavia ruling applied to him before entering the transfer portal but the college athletics governing body told him he had to file a waiver to receive that answer neiver individuals nor Division II schools For the NCAA to tell Osuna whether he was eligible The NCAA had yet to assign anyone to review Osuna’s case on Feb a day before the start of the season and 13 days after he transferred to Tennessee the first baseman filed a complaint against the NCAA in federal court It was a federal court that forced the NCAA’s hand in the Pavia case by saying junior college season can’t count against Division I eligibility a federal judge ruled against Osuna despite the similarities in Pavia and Osuna’s cases Now Osuna’s chances of receiving eligibility are dependent on the NCAA granting him an extra year of eligibility Tennessee students painting “The Rock” in support of Osuna is a push to try and get the slugger eligible A number of current and former Tennessee players have posted support of Osuna on X (Twitter) on Monday afternoon as he pushed for eligibility including Andrew Fischer and Jared Dickey Tennessee is off to a 16-0 start to the 2025 season 2 in the country in every major rankings this week Tony Vitello’s eighth Tennessee team opens SEC play this weekend with a three-game series against Florida 2025) -- The Frisco RoughRiders came from behind twice to topple the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 12-9 on Wednesday night from Arvest Ballpark Box Score After coming back from down five runs to take the lead earlier in the game Frisco (3-2) trailed 9-8 in the ninth before Alejandro Osuna hammered a go-ahead three-run home run off of Northwest Arkansas (4-1) reliever Ryan Hendrix (0-1) to put the Riders up 11-9 Josh Hatcher then added to his monster game with an RBI single to push the lead to 12-9 Robby Ahlstrom then entered and struck out the side for his first save of the year Peyton Gray (1-0) earned his first Riders win with two perfect innings out of the bullpen the Naturals pounced on Riders starter Josh Stephan in the first inning for five runs Frisco came back with three runs of their own in the top of the third on two infield RBI singles from Abimelec Ortiz and Luis Mieses and a Keyber Rodriguez sacrifice fly Jordan Groshans then hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to increase the lead to 6-3 Hatcher hit a solo shot and Mieses bashed a three-run go-ahead homer to put the Riders in front 7-6 but Northwest Arkansas scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead 9-7 Ian Moller brought the Riders a run closer in the seventh with his first home run of the year Frainyer Chavez also had a multi-hit affair going 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored Hatcher has tied Liam Hicks (2024) for the most hits for a RoughRiders through the first five team games of the season with 10 -Osuna's hit marked the first win for the Riders in their last at-bat in 2025 -Cam Cauley tied a career high with three walks 9.82) takes the ball for the Riders against RHP Steven Zobac (0-0 They return to Riders Field to host the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks affiliate) from Tuesday Homestand promotions include Tribute to the Stop Sign (April 17th) Dallas Wings Night (April 18th) and Pickleball Night (April 19th) Season and single-game tickets for the 2025 season are already on sale. For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200 Alberto Osuna transferred to join Tennessee baseball two weeks before the Vols 2025 season opener 14 against Hofstra at Lindsey Nelson Stadium The expectation is that Osuna will regain eligibility at the Division I level due to his two years in junior college at Walters State. He is seeking eligibility through the NCAA granting blanket waivers to former junior college transfers following the Diego Pavia lawsuit He will have to be granted eligibility to play this season Osuna transferred to Division II juggernaut Tampa and spent the fall with the Spartans believing his Division I eligibility had expired Will Alberto Osuna start at first base for the Vols?Tennessee didn't have a true first baseman on its roster in the fall 245-pound Osuna fills the gap as an experienced first baseman which was the least-settled spot in the lineup Senior Alex Perry was the potential starter after fall baseball, but he stepped away from the program in January to deal with a personal matter but stands as a possibility at the other corner Osuna is a proven bat at the highest levels of college baseball He hit .259 with 45 homers and 140 RBIs in three seasons at UNC FOCUS: Tony Vitello is watching these four positions in Tennessee baseball lineup in preseason he is a power-hitting right-handed bat beyond what Tennessee has in its likely starting lineup Dean Curley and Hunter Ensley both are double-digit home run threats Osuna has proven to be a powerful force for years He also can help balance Tennessee's lefty-dominant lineup Osuna has experience at the highest levels and has been on winning teams He hit in the middle of the UNC lineup last season and reached the College World Series He fits in well with Tennessee in that respect He hit .281 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs last season on North Carolina's College World Series team Tennessee transfer Alberto Osuna penned an open letter to the NCAA on Monday afternoon Osuna asked the collegiate sports governing body to award him his final year of eligibility while ripping them for how they have handled his case “This is your opportunity to prioritize the well-being of student-athletes,” Osuna wrote. “Grant me my immediate eligibility because it is the right thing to do South Carolina native highlighted the importance in being able to support his family financially after his dad underwent a surgery that is limiting his ability to work Osuna states that the NIL opportunities he could receive at Tennessee are not comparable to what they would have been at the University of Tampa “But I also came here for the NIL potential that didn’t exist at Tampa and to be able to help my family and I financially,” Osuna wrote “To help my father who underwent back surgery and hasn’t been able to get back to 100% since then.” Osuna is seeking an extra-year of eligibility on the same grounds that the NCAA awarded Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia an additional year of eligibility Pavia won a lawsuit against the NCAA with a federal judge ruling that an athlete’s years playing at a junior college can not count against his Division-I eligibility At the time the ruling in the Pavia case came down Osuna was preparing to play the season University of Tampa because he was out of Division I eligibility But since Osuna played two seasons at Walters State Community College the precedent in the Pavia ruling opened the possibility of playing another season at the Division I level Osuna reached out to the NCAA asking whether the Pavia ruling would give him an extra year of eligibility The NCAA told Osuna that he would have to file a waiver to inquire about that The former North Carolina slugger entered the transfer portal in January before committing to Tennessee on Friday Tennessee submitted the waiver the ensuing Monday After not hearing anything from the NCAA and the governing body having yet to assign anyone to even review Osuna’s case the first baseman filed a complaint against the NCAA on Thursday one day before the start of Tennessee’s season Osuna and his team were hoping they could work around the NCAA with the courts forcing to make the transfer eligible just like they did for Pavia But despite the cases being nearly identical the federal judge ruled with the NCAA and against Pavia last Monday Osuna’s only chances of gaining eligibility rests in the hands of the NCAA granting him an additional season of eligibility Osuna’s open letter is a public cry for eligibility “If you were going to oppose my waiver all along why did you tell me to file one?” Osuna asked “Why did you allow me to enter the transfer portal … How is the NCAA harmed by letting me play But I am irreparably harmed by not getting to play in my final season.” By SportsDay Staff The team announced several moves Friday, including optioning No. 13 prospect outfielder Alejandro Osuna to Double-A Frisco Osuna put together an impressive spring that caught even manager Bruce Bochy’s attention “He’s going to play in the major leagues,” Bochy said last month In another internal move, the Rangers optioned outfielder Dustin Harris to Triple-A Round Rock. Harris, 25, is on the older side for a prospect and lacked a path to the major league roster with plenty of outfield depth ahead of him GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Rangers transactions for Friday:-OF Dustin Harris optioned to Round Rock (AAA)-OF Alejandro Osuna optioned to Frisco (AA)-RHP Jesse Chavez released-RHP Hunter Strickland released Twitter/X: @dmn_rangers Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter. Osuna transferred to Tennessee last month just two weeks before the start of the college baseball season South Carolina native played two seasons at Walters State Junior College and the last three seasons North Carolina pretty unique kid,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said of Osuna last week So I don’t mean to make any kind of political statement with that at all I watched him play and the big homers and all that don’t really match up with the – he’s kind of a teddy bear but also he’s got some fight to him and he’s a fun one to have around.” The first baseman ran out of Division I eligibility following last season but transferred to Division II power Tampa University back in the fall But after Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia won eligibility based lawsuit against the NCAA on the grounds that junior college seasons can not count against a player’s NCAA eligibility The NCAA’s slow pace of reviewing Osuna’s case led to the former North Carolina slugger filing a lawsuit of his own but the courts denied his request on Monday Georgia baseball’s Dylan Goldstein was in a similar situation to Osuna and filed the same lawsuit but the Georgia courts also denied him eligibility Tennessee is off to a fast 11-0 start to the season and ranks in the top two nationally in ever rankings after three weekends The Vols have an abundance of depth with three different Tennessee players starting at first base in the 11 games of the season with freshman Levi Clark also playing the spot as a sub Tennessee transfer slugger Alberto Osuna’s playing future with the Vols is uncertain after a judge denied his request for a preliminary injunction on Monday afternoon the injunction would have made Osuna immediately eligible to play for Tennessee this season Osuna is unlikely to get eligibility and play this season for the Vols While Osuna’s chances of becoming eligible is unlikely Tony Vitello is looking to make Osuna’s time at Tennessee worthwhile “I can’t do anything other than I can tell you this: We will make sure it is worth his while being at this place,” Vitello said on Tuesday night Osuna ran out of eligibility following the 2024 season after he played three years at North Carolina and two years at Walters State Community College But Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s successful lawsuit set the precedent that junior college seasons can not count against an athlete’s division one eligibility South Carolina native transferred to Tennessee in late January hoping that precedent would give him another year of eligibility Osuna spent the fall at Division II power University of Tampa where he originally planned to play the 2025 season After the NCAA hadn’t assigned anyone to review Osuna’s case two days before the start of the season he filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in hopes that a federal judge would grant him a preliminary injunction and subsequent immediate eligibility It was the same process that Pavia followed and Osuna’s case was very similar to the Vanderbilt quarterback’s But the judge in the Osuna case saw things differently than the judge in the Pavia case and ruled differently I don’t have a reaction,” Vitello said I’d like to know what that is because all I have gotten out of you guys is it is straightforward and it is this — I don’t see how it is straightforward.” Osuna was present for Tennessee’s 22-9 run-rule win over Radford on Tuesday night and served as the first base coach during the second inning The power hitting right hander was a staring candidate at both first base and designated hitter for the Vols’ this season 14 home runs and 56 RBIs on the Tar Heels run to the College World Series The Tennessee Volunteers are set for a huge weekend series starting Friday They are on the road in the state of Mississippi taking on a familiar foe as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels Although the fans don't get to see Lane Kiffin against his favorite team again (and they most definitely want to) they will get to see the biggest rivalry between the two teams as baseball is the biggest rivalry for the programs The Tennessee Volunteers will be entering this game with one less player than the Rebels as they enter this game without Alberto Osuna again Osuna has still yet to gain eligibility from the NCAA after transferring to the Volunteers prior to the beginning of the season He is unlikely to gain eligibility for the remainder of this season and will likely never play a game in the Orange & White The Tennessee Volunteers have done a great job so far this season despite losing their first series last weekend when they took on the Texas A&M Aggies The Tennessee Volunteers will be looking to right their wrongs as Liam Doyle takes the mound against his former team on Friday night • Follow Tennessee on SI on Twitter: @VolsOnSI• Follow Tennessee on SI on Facebook: @VOLS on SI Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI. CALEB SISK The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Tennessee baseball first baseman Alberto Osuna is still awaiting to receive eligibility from the NCAA, Vols head coach Tony Vitello said on Tuesday afternoon. “As of now, he’s waiting for clearance to being eligible,” Vitello said. “I don’t even know the specific terms. The one good thing is to come in halfway through the year and get everyone 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. Osuna was a late addition to the Vols’ roster, enrolling at Tennessee last week just under two weeks before Tennessee opened up its 2025 season. The Mauldin, South Carolina native played the last three seasons at North Carolina but was out of Division-I eligibility following the 2024 season and transferred to Division-II power the University of Tampa. But Osuna spent the first two years of his career at Walters State Junior College and the Diego Pavia ruling that stated the NCAA couldn’t count junior college seasons against a players eligibility at the Division-I level opened up the possibility for Osuna to return to Division-I. While the NCAA made a blanket statement awarding an extra year of eligibility to football players affected by the ruling, they have yet to do so with baseball players who exhausted their eligibility last season. That is why Osuna is still awaiting word on whether he’ll be eligible next season. “The only difference in this case (Diego Pavia case) from the one that took place in the winter is he plays baseball and the other guy plays football,” Vitello said. The good news for Tennessee is that Osuna is not the only player on a Division-I roster that needs this ruling to be awarded eligibility this season. The expectation is that the NCAA will award eligibility to baseball players affected by the Pavia ruling but the timing is uncertain. Osuna was a three-year starter for North Carolina at both first base and designated hitter. The right-handed bat combined to hit .259 with 32 doubles, 45 home runs and 140 RBIs in his three seasons at North Carolina. During the 2024 season, Osuna hit .281 with 17 doubles,14 home runs and 56 RBIs on the Tar Heels run to the College World Series. The slugger hit a career-best 20 home runs during the 2022 season. First base is one of the biggest question marks on Tennessee’s roster. Alex Perry and Dalton Bargo both competed for playing time at first base back in the fall with neither having an abundance of experience at first base. But Perry left the Tennessee baseball program earlier this month due to personal reasons leaving Bargo and backup catchers Stone Lawless and Levi Clark as the candidates to start at first base. With projected starting catcher Cannon Peebles not working behind the plate due to an arm issue at the moment, Lawless and Clark have had to spend more time there. If Osuna is not eligible for the start of the season, Bargo, Andrew Fischer and freshman Levi Clark will be the top candidates to start at first base for the Vols. Tennessee baseball opens up its season on Friday afternoon against Hofstra at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch for the three game series is at 4:30 p.m. ET. The SEC Network+ is broadcasting the game. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Tennessee received some devastating news this afternoon in regard to the Alberto Osuna court hearing for preliminary injunction defeating Tennessee baseball player Alberto Osuna's request for a preliminary injunction to play this season,” Heitner said “The court held that Osuna failed to demonstrate a strong likelihood of success on his Sherman Antitrust Act claim because he did not establish that the JUCO Rule produces substantial anticompetitive effects in the market for Division I athletics.” defeating Tennessee baseball player Alberto Osuna's request for a preliminary injunction to play this season The court held that Osuna failed to demonstrate a strong likelihood of success on his Sherman Antitrust Act claim because he did… This is the second case where a Tennessee player was defeated by the NCAA in the last month It goes to show that the NCAA is picking up steam inside the court and winning more cases This still brings a valid case of uncertainty for players as it seems only a handful are eligible while the rest have to sit Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application and Paul (Stephanie) Childers of Littleton and Marta Osuna (Richard Trenholme) of Denver and Katherine Childers; four great-grandsons; two great-great-grandchildren; niece Barrett Trenholme; one great-niece; and many and studied welding at Michigan State University In 1975 he graduated plumbing/pipefitting medical gas through the local 412 union where he was a member and taught classes for over 50 years Carlos loved his family and enjoyed fly fishing His last great joy was working with the refurbishing team of the 2926 steam locomotive followed by a graveside service at Sunset Memorial Park In lieu of flowers please consider giving a donation in memory of Carlos Osuna to NM Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors