MTCS sophomore J.D. McCracken commits to Tennessee baseball

He's only a sophomore, but Middle Tennessee Christian baseball standout J.D. McCracken has no doubts about where he wants to play college baseball and what he wants to study when he gets there.

McCracken committed to Tennessee on Thursday.

He said he knew UT was the place to go after a visit there in January.

"When I was on campus they put a bunch of effort into me and I got to see everything," McCracken said. "The effort they put into me was substantially more than anyone else."

McCracken, a 6-foot-3 left-hander, has been recruited primarily as a pitcher. He also had offers from Auburn and Alabama. But Tennessee captured his interest for more than just baseball.

"I didn't want to just be the kid that went somewhere because they were good at baseball," said McCracken, whose fastball averages around 86-88 mph. "I wanted to do something if baseball didn't work out. I will still be doing something I love, which is being a veterinarian."

McCracken is 3-2 with a 0.64 ERA, having allowed 10 hits, 13 walks and striking out 37 in 22 innings. He is batting .352 with eight doubles, two triples, three homers, 25 RBIs and a .459 on-base percentage.

For his career McCracken is 9-3 with a 0.61 ERA with 40 hits, 30 walks and 90 strikeouts in 69⅓ innings.

McCracken doesn't expect to change his mind during his final two years of high school.

"I'm 100 percent positive," he said. "Me and my family talked about it. Some say there's pressure once you commit, but that won't change anything with me. Everything is working out now. I'm 100 percent sure about my choice, and I'm glad I made it."

No. 23 Tennessee (31-14, 9-12 SEC) is having its best season in more than a decade.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.

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