Hunter Ensley was irate. But he was happy about it.
The Tennessee baseball outfielder whiffed on a final chance to make an impression last season — twice. He struck out in both at-bats on May 17 against Belmont, a three-pitch strikeout followed by a four-pitch strikeout an inning later.
A seething Ensley drove home with Blade Tidwell, his then-teammate and roommate, and bubbled over. He looked at Tidwell and told him he was glad he failed.
“When I go out to summer ball, I am going to tear it up and when I play next year, it is going to be that much sweeter,” Ensley told Tidwell.
Ensley is living the sweet life he envisioned. He turned an angry car ride into becoming the man in center field, ascending to a prominent position as the latest developmental darling for Tennessee through a California summer and uncrackable willpower.
“I went from watching in my dorm, to watching in the dugout, to watching from center field,” Ensley said.
HOME:Why Tennessee baseball still must be taken seriously as a College World Series hopeful
HISTORY LESSON:Inside the wakeup call that sparked Tennessee baseball's 8-game win streak, turned Vols' season around
How a summer in Santa Barbara established Hunter Ensley
Vols coach Tony Vitello got a call over the summer from Bill Pintard, the manager and director of the Santa Barbara Foresters.
“Hey, this guy can really hit,” Pintard told Vitello.
That guy was Ensley. That message was validation.
Ensley had hardly played in three years. His senior season in high school was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He had labrum surgery as a freshman and watched the games from his dorm instead of the dugout. He got occasional midweek at-bats as a redshirt freshman behind a deep and talented outfield, which culminated with the triggering two-strikeout game.
He headed for Santa Barbara and the California Colleague League needing to play — and to find his footing on the field again.
“I got out there and it was like, ‘Hopefully, I still remember how to play baseball,'” said Ensley, who is hitting .294 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 42 games with 33 starts this season.
Ensley was a highly touted hitter in high school, hitting better than .600 with 21 extra-base hits as a junior in 2019. But he’d never done it against college pitching. He struggled against UT’s pitching staff in the fall prior to the 2022 season after coming back from surgery. He struck out in half of his 16 at-bats in 2022 and had two hits.
The Huntingdon, Tennessee, graduate was the starting left fielder in his first summer game. He struck out in his first at-bat. He got a hit in his next at-bat. He went 3-for-4 in his second game and his summer — and trajectory — changed.
Vitello accepts that summer ball can be a tryout of sorts for players like Ensley. Ensley accepted the same, staring down an opportunity at Tennessee and a pivot point in his career.
Ensley shortened his swing slightly during the summer. His approach at the plate changed as well, as he watched how pitchers attacked other right-handed hitters. He dedicated himself to being a tough out even if he fell behind 0-2.
He was named the league’s top left fielder by the coaches. He hit .395, had a .465 on-base percentage and slugged .535.
“Santa Barbara is the place that guys go to increase confidence,” Vitello said.
How Hunter Ensley willed his way into the Tennessee lineup
Ensley was simmering when he got back from Santa Barbara. But it was different this time. He funneled his hyper-competitive feelings into work, hell-bent on being the player he rediscovered he could be.
What is happening now was inevitable. He insists he spoke himself into the lineup, believing he was going to play no matter what happened in the fall or preseason.
“I said in my head I am going to be in the lineup,” Ensley said. “I am going to play this year. I am going to be in it every day.”
Vitello has built a program around players who bided their time and developed into MLB Draft picks such as Cortland Lawson and Trey Lipscomb. Ensley fit the profile, watching for two years but with an exciting skill set.
Vitello expressed hope in Ensley's future as he fielded a half-dozen calls from Marty Ensley, Ensley's father, in the past inquiring realistically and measuredly about the roster.
“This is the home the free, land of the opportunity,” Vitello said. “No one gives the treatment where they are given up on.”
Ensley was unflappable in his belief and happy demeanor with the Vols. He didn’t have a clear position, though. The outfield was open, but featured a bevy of viable options. UT worked Ensley at first base in the fall as an option behind Blake Burke. He broached the subject of moving back to the outfield, expecting to be a corner option.
He cemented himself as a center field option with a jaw-dropping, wall-scaling catch in a fall night scrimmage as he robbed Zane Denton of a homer. Vitello went nuts. Ensley did, too.
The Vols cycled through center field options in Jared Dickey, Kyle Booker and Christian Scott early in the season. Ensley kept proving himself defensively — and offensively. He filled UT's need for more right-handed bats. He staked a claim as the No. 2 hitter for his innate ability to deliver quality at-bats. He ranks among the best Vols at making his at-bats count either with a hard-hit ball or productive out or hit.
He has injected vital toughness into the lineup.
“That is what I pride myself in,” said Ensley, who is hitting .317 in SEC play.
Ensley has responded to his everyday role with diving catches in center field and being on of the most consistent offensive threats as the No. 20 Vols (33-16, 12-12) host No. 16 Kentucky (34-13, 14-10) in a series starting Friday (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
The circ*mstances have changed. But Ensley hasn’t — he’s still the same edgy, joyful guy that vented in the car last May and is starring this May.
“If you look at me, that is what I am — a tough player that wants to win,” Ensley said.
Mike Wilsoncovers University of Tennessee athletics.Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.comand follow him on Twitter@ByMikeWilson.If you enjoy Mike’s coverage,consider adigital subscriptionthat will allow you access to all of it.
