In the midst of a series loss at Georgia, Garrett Wright was uncomfortable.
Tennessee baseball’s utility man had been moved into the leadoff spot for the weekend series. His first rodeo in that role for the Vols was the Tuesday game against Tennessee Tech that week, and it was something that he’d only done five times before in his college career.
Still, the Vols rolled Wright out there for all three games, and kept him there until a game one loss to Missouri — and Josh Elander had a conversation with him. After moving off Wright for five games, Elander moved him back to leadoff on Tuesday against Austin Peay. It paid off with a three-hit day in Wright’s season debut at catcher in a 13-4 win over the Governors at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
“My challenge for him was, like, it’s only one time,” Elander said. “It’s the first (at-bat) of the game, and the rest of the time it could be (anywhere). We’re trying to get you up there as much as you can.”
When he moved back up in the lineup after a four-hit weekend at Vanderbilt, where Blake Grimmer struggled, Elander relayed a simplistic message:
“It was, ‘Hey, to lead off the game, we’re ready to rock and roll,’” Elander said.
Elander feels Wright was worried about changing his persona or working the pitcher deeper into counts. Most of it is the lack of experience he has in the spot, too.
What helped more than anything was his position on Tuesday. Wright’s first opportunity to catch this season arose for various reasons.
He’s been limited with a hamate bone injury that derailed him from competing at the start of the year, but a facial fracture to Stone Lawless opened up the need for a guy to compete behind the dish.
Insert Wright, exit thoughts.
“I was more worried about catching than I was hitting,” Wright said. “And I didn’t have time to think about my at-bat. So, I went from catching, took my gear off, and I was on deck at that time.
“And the umpire rushed me because the ditch clock wasn’t working properly, but other than that, I felt like I was just swinging free.”
Wright’s ability to immediately take to the batter’s box worked. He roped a lead-off double to left field to open up the hitting after a gut-punching weekend at Vanderbilt, where the bats struggled at times. The catcher’s opening knock set the tone for a four-run inning that followed.
The pace-setter laid the groundwork for a Vols offense that tallied nine hits in the first three innings. That allowed Wright to step to the plate in the first, second and third innings — leaving all three with a hit.
In the third inning, Wright towered a ball to left field for his third home run of the season. He swung at the first pitch he saw and took it 404 feet over the wall. Even though Wright went 3-for-3 with a home run, he was most happy to return to his post in the turfed dirt between the chalked lines.
Tuesday was a rare occasion for the 6-foot, 195-pound warrior. In two seasons at Bowling Green, he only ever played catcher and hit leadoff three times — a May 2025 series against Toledo, where he recorded a hit in all three games.
“I love catching, so I’m really comfortable catching,” Wright said. “I’ve done that my entire life. It’s like riding a bike. I mean, the leadoff part, that’ll come. It’s just something where you do it more, and you’re going to get used to it.”
He helped Tennessee’s pitching staff record 95 strikes on 145 total pitches.
“Just being back out there, it’s really nice for me, just because that’s where I’ve always wanted to play,” Wright said. “I grew up playing catcher. Outfield wasn’t my main position, so kind of just being stuck in the outfield was a little rough mentally of like, I want to be able to catch, but kind of just being where my hand’s letting me be.”
As Tennessee navigates the near future, it will likely do so with Wright seeking more action in his natural spot. Lawless’ facial fracture requires the swelling to reduce before a timeline is determined, but that leaves room for Wright and Levi Clark to split duties behind the plate, while Trent Grindlinger digs in for potential reps.
Wright will be vying for the spot most after his three-hit day in the spot he loves, but Clark makes an intriguing option by numbers. Clark has seven hits in eight games behind the plate, and just nine hits in his other 15 games played at other positions.
Is the catcher spot a sacred hitting tool?
“I honestly just think that’s coincidental,” Clark said.
