Tyler Myatt has had the chance to fill multiple roles in his first year on Rocky Top. The redshirt freshman transferred from Walters State Community College after winning the NJCAA’s triple crown (.484 AVG, 31 HRs, 110 RBIs) and leading his team to a runner-up finish at the 2025 JUCO World Series. Now, Myatt is looking to make a name for himself in college baseball’s highest level.
Early in the spring, second base was one of the few positions that head coach Josh Elander did not yet have set in stone. A number of players were up for that starting spot, including Myatt.
Splitting time with those other players, Myatt had a healthy mix of starts and at-bats off the bench.
Myatt’s first at-bat of the year came during opening weekend for Tennessee against Nicholls State. Myatt pinch hit for Reese Chapman with Tennessee up 8-0 in the bottom of the eighth. In a 2-2 count, Myatt launched a ball over the wall in right-center for his first hit, home run and RBI of the season. His home run helped Tennessee run-rule Nicholls in its first game of the season.
Myatt went 2-for-6 with four RBIs in his next two games, getting the chance to start. He also blasted his second solo home run of the season when he came in to pinch hit in Tennessee’s next game against Kent State.
Off to a hot start in the spring season, Elander felt that he had earned the right to be in the starting lineup. Myatt started the next seven games, but only collected four hits and two RBIs in his next 22 at-bats.
Myatt stayed in a slump through mid-March when he finally got back into a groove coming off the bench.
Oddly, the pinch-hit role seemed to suit Myatt better than the starting spot. Many players find it difficult to stay engaged for their single chance at any point in the game. But for Myatt, it seemed to work the other way.
“[Coaches and I] would try to almost predict the moment,” Myatt said. “We would always talk about it before the game… who I would face, what this guy looked like, what would the situation be.”
This preparation was beneficial to Myatt. He knew exactly when he could come into the game and thought specifically about that moment for the entire game.
“I would get to sit there and think about it the whole game,” Myatt said. “I would barely be in the dugout half the time. I’d be in the weight room, either swinging the bat or lifting a little bit just to keep the body warm.”
The preparation when coming off the bench has certainly been a huge help for Myatt. Going into their series against No. 13 Alabama, Myatt is hitting .333 with four RBIs when coming off the bench and hitting .179 with eight RBIs when starting. The question for Myatt over the last month has been: How does he translate his success from the bench into a full game of three or more at-bats?
“That’s kind of what we’re trying to do right now,” Myatt said. “[I need to] be able to have that same mindset whether I’m pinch-hitting, or the games I start.”
Given the time Myatt puts into preparing for his potential at-bat when coming off the bench, it can be difficult to put that same level of preparedness into every at-bat when starting, especially when he has to worry about playing the field too.
“The biggest thing right now is being able to switch on and off from offense to defense,” Myatt said.
When asked how defense really impacts his game overall, Myatt initially answered with one word, “unreal.” He continued by explaining his mindset on defense.
“We have to protect runs for our pitchers. They’re out there dealing, doing what they need to do, and even if they’re not having a good game, we can still change the game,” Myatt said. “Whether it’s a good play, or we get a big double play, that’s a momentum booster.”
Getting more comfortable on the defensive side of the ball seems to be a potential solution for Myatt as he progresses.
“Last year, at [Walters State Community College], I used to DH a lot, and I kind of had to have the same mentality where I didn’t go play defense,” Myatt said. “I had a spot where I would sit in the dugout, and I would literally just be prepared for every single AB because I didn’t have to worry about going out in the field.”
Myatt said second base has been his favorite position so far this season. But he has also played left field and third base, although he’s not nearly as comfortable at third. He has worked closely with assistant coach Ross Kivett on his defense and feels that it has helped him on offense and defense.
“Yeah, it’s helping a lot because I get to focus on my feet,” Myatt said. “That was one of the biggest things, just stay moving. I kind of brought that over to hitting a little bit… and I ended up hitting a bunch of home runs. It was kind of crazy how that translates.”
Myatt has been mostly out of the lineup over the last two weeks due to illness but remains confident in his abilities and is looking to make more progress as the season continues.
“I would say [I would be in] a pinch-hit role, come in to play if I need to, but obviously I’m still fighting for a second base spot,” Myatt said. “I want to be out there and go and play every day, but I’m going to do whatever I can, whatever I need to for the team… I’m not going to be upset about it because I just want to win at the end of the day.”
