What Tennessee baseball is getting in Bearden’s Brooks Wright, a commit since eighth grade

Sophomore Jack Fennell knew of Brooks Wright before joining the Bearden baseball team.

Wright committed to Tennessee baseball in the eighth grade, and Fennel was captivated by his highlights on Instagram.  

The first time Fennell met Wright was at the school’s youth baseball camp before his freshman year. He was dumbfounded by the way the Knoxville standout carried himself. 

“I was like, ‘Is this guy even a commit?' Like he doesn't handle himself that way,” Fennell said. “Usually, you see people being cocky with their commitment or all the offers.

“It was something I'd never seen before.”

The humble senior is now a Tennessee signee and coming off a junior season in which he was the District 4-4A Defensive Player of the Year as a catcher. Wright has a .308 batting average, six home runs, nine walks and a .551 OBP in a little over a month this season. 

Why Brooks Wright chose Tennessee baseball

Wright said he landed on the radar of Tennessee baseball’s recruiting coordinator Josh Eulander and coach Tony Vitello during the summer before his eighth-grade year at national events hosted by USA Baseball and Perfect Game. 

He then was invited to a Tennessee camp in November 2019 and remained in contact with the coaches throughout his eighth-grade year. While he was in the stands watching a Bearden baseball game, Wright received a phone call from Eulander and Vitello and committed a week later. 

Choosing the Vols was straightforward. Wright loves staying in Knoxville and couldn’t pass on an opportunity to play for the program he grew up watching. 

“I always wanted to be one of them,” Wright said. “To be a role model to a kid like me, that's super special.”

Being an SEC-caliber talent at a young age did present some challenges as he felt the weight of expectation along with the ire of the opposing team’s fans during his freshman year.

“I didn't play as great as I would have liked to my freshman year, but I really learned to block out all the external things,” Wright said. 

The spotlight no longer fazed him by his sophomore season.  

Journaling and maturity are keys to Brook Wright's success

Third-year Bearden coach Dave Prichard said that Wright’s defensive ability is extraordinary. However, his star’s intangible effect on others is what’s most pronounced. 

“Every catcher on our roster, he's taking them under his wing and at this stage of Brooks’ career, he's just like another assistant coach,” Prichard said. 

Wright also shared with the entire team the power of recording all your at-bats in a journal. 

Wright said he learned this from Prichard, who suggested it his sophomore year. The senior said it’s benefited him greatly, knowing opponents' tendencies and understanding his strengths and weaknesses. 

Journaling also helps him “reset” his mind after a good or bad game. Wright has noted each at-bat at every game in high school and in the summer since his sophomore season.

“Brooks is insanely ahead of his years,” Fennell said. “You don't see high school players do that.”

Prichard wasn’t aware that Wright took as much heed to his suggestion but was unsurprised that he shared it with the team. 

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Helping others, especially those younger, is innate to Wright. Coaching kids at Bearden’s baseball camp excites him. He even had his own catcher camp for elementary schoolers at Morristown East during the offseason. 

“People know how good of a player he is, but he's a remarkable human being,” Prichard said. 

Wright said he wants to provide the guidance he was given growing up because he knows how impactful it was for him. 

“He wants other people to succeed before he does,” Fennell said. “He’s the most mature dude I know.”

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter, @TJ3rd_.