Blake Grimmer and Garrett Wright will be in the Tennessee baseball starting lineup against Oakland on Wednesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, a source with direct knowledge told Volquest.
Grimmer is starting at first base and Wright is starting in center field as both are making their starting debuts this season.
Freshman catcher Trent Grindlinger also is starting, while Levi Clark will get a day off. Jay Abernathy will start at second base with Wright in center field.
Grimmer missed the first 11 games of the season with lower back soreness dating back to the preseason. He took batting practice back-to-back days in Texas and felt fine, Vols coach Josh Elander said Sunday.
Wright played against Bellarmine on Tuesday as a ninth-inning defensive replacement. He was available in Texas to play in the outfield, but did not enter any of the three games. He had hamate surgery on his left hand in January.
Grimmer hit .318 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 2025. He played in 27 games with nine starts. Grimmer established himself as one of Tennessee’s top power hitters going into the season. The left-handed hitter is a likely designated hitter, but the Michigan native could play third base, first base or left field.
Wright was a back-to-back All-MAC selection and a two-time MAC all-defensive team player at Bowling Green. He hit .406 with eight homers and 48 RBIs last season. He also had 20 doubles and four triples for a .663 slugging percentage. His 20 doubles were a Bowling Green program record. He also had 49 hit by pitches in his two seasons.
He is a career .396 hitter with 14 homers and 76 RBIs in two seasons at Bowling Green.Â