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Ariel Antigua enters transfer portal to leave Tennessee baseball after three seasons

Mike Wilson credential pictureby: Mike Wilson06/01/26ByMikeWilson

Ariel Antigua is entering the transfer portal after three seasons with Tennessee baseball, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Volquest on Monday.

The shortstop hit .199 in 130 career games with 40 starts for the Vols. He is an elite defensive player in the middle infield and was largely used as a defensive replacement during his Tennessee career. He had seven doubles, one home run and 24 RBIs during his three seasons.

Antigua is the second Tennessee player to enter the portal. Freshman infielder Ethan Moore entered the portal Monday on the first day it is open. Antigua has not publicly announced his decision.

Antigua was in the mix to start at shortstop as a freshman in 2024, but had an injury in the preseason that derailed him. Dean Curley won the job and Antigua was his backup. He played in 40 games with six starts, hitting .217 and playing as a defensive replacement largely as a freshman. He was on the field at shortstop when Tennessee clinched the 2024 College World Series against Texas A&M.

Antigua hit .200 as a junior. He homered against Oakland in March for his first and only career homer at UT. He played in 51 games with 20 starts as a sophomore in 2025. He hit .192.

Antigua served as Manny Marin‘s backup in the 2026 season, while also playing second base as a defensive replacement late in games.

The Vols went 38-22 in coach Josh Elander‘s first season. They went 15-15 in SEC play with notable series wins against top-10 opponents in Mississippi State and Texas. They were the only program in the nation to go unbeaten in midweek games with a 14-0 record. UT’s season ended in the Chapel Hill Regional after it reached the postseason for the seventh straight season.

The portal opens Monday and is open until June 30 for Division I baseball players. Players have to submit paperwork in that window in order to transfer. They do not have to commit to a school during that window and programs can continue to add players following the transfer portal window.