Photo via GHC Baseball on X, @GHCBaseball
Tony Vitello and Tennessee Baseball are still playing in Omaha and fighting for that coveted National Championship. While they wait to play their next game Wednesday, we’ll look back at a commitment from last November. Left-handed pitcher Michael Sharman hails from Woodstock, GA and just finished his final season of junior college ball at Georgia Highlands College. Sharman came back from an ACL injury and went on to throw 93.2 innings with a 3.36 ERA and 101 strike outs in 16 starts this season! The lefty impressed Coach Vitello enough to give him an offer prior to his dominant sophomore campaign.
Sharman said that he was prepared to commit to another school when his phone rang and Coach Tony Vitello was on the line. The fact that Coach Vitello led his recruitment process personally meant a lot to Sharman and eventually led to the visit and commitment last November. Sharman said, "Coach Vitello did all of my recruiting personally which I thought was super special and he was nothing but nice and upfront with me and my father on the visit. I have nothing but great things to say about the program and University which ultimately led to my commitment." At 22 years old, Sharman will be stepping in as an older player from day one and looks to learn quickly while steping into a leadership role on the staff and try to mentor some of the younger guys who will also be coming straight out of high school. Sharman also said he has been watching the Vols play in Omaha this week. Sharman said that, "watching the Vols play in Omaha gets me extremely excited to be a part of the program next year. I love the energy that they bring and I'm excited to bring some more of that and hopefully get back next year."
As a player, Sharman is a mature player that prides himself on his work ethic. He's a team first guy who wants to put his team in the best position to win every day, no mater what that role may be or what might be asked of him. Currently Sharman's fastball sits in the upper 80s and sometimes touches the 90s from the left side. Sharman's goal once he gets to Tennessee is to continue to get stronger in order to add velocity and sharpen up his breaking ball. He commands all four pitches in the zone and does a nice job of keeping hitters off balance. The Georgia kid will throw a 4-seam fastball, cutter, change up, and curveball. The fact that he has plenty of college experience at the juco level and multiple years of learning how to pitch instead of just being a thrower means he should slot in well on Frank Anderson's staff. If you're looking for a player comparison for Sharman, look no further than Zander Sechrist. Both Sechrist and Sharman know how to attack hitters with varying speeds and breaking balls.
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