Farragut's Tanner Kim commits to Kentucky baseball

Tanner Kim is helping establish the Knoxville-to-Kentucky pipeline in college baseball. 

The Farragut first baseman/outfielder on Monday announced his commitment to Kentucky, becoming the second Admiral in as many years to do so. Kim will graduate in 2021.

"Excited and blessed to announce I will be committing to the University of Kentucky to further my academic and baseball career," Kim wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to all my friends, family, and coaches for getting me to this point. Thank you to all of the coaches at Kentucky for this opportunity!"

Kim chose Kentucky over offers from ETSU and several other smaller Division I schools. He also said that Virginia Tech was close to extending an offer.

Class of 2020 pitcher Ryan Hagenow of Farragut signed with Kentucky in November. Jake Tate, a 2019 graduate of Christian Academy of Knoxville, also plays for Kentucky.

"I really like the coaching style and facilities there," Kim told Knox News. "I felt like the program was the best fit for me."

As a sophomore in 2019, Kim appeared in 44 games, batting .310 with 26 hits and 17 RBIs. In 2020, he was in the top half of Farragut's batting order for the first three games before the season was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.