PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Pigeon Forge baseball star and Tennessee baseball commit Dylan Loy closed his high school career as a two-time Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year, but he made his plans for the next level before he was even a one-time winner.
Loy committed to the Vols the summer after his freshman year and he made his mind up immediately after he received a scholarship offer from Tennessee.
"They say you have to wait a little bit, but I was too excited to wait so it was about four days," Loy said.
The offer from UT was the one Loy had been waiting for and a love for the program runs in his family.
"Both my parents graduated from Tennessee and my brother just graduated from Tennessee," Loy said. "I've got orange in my blood."
The left-handed pitcher was an early recruit in the Tony Vitello era at Tennessee and he said talking with the head coach made him extra sure he wanted to come play for Tennessee.
"Everyone loves that guy," Loy said. "He'll stand up for you, he'll be ready to go no matter what, and it was pretty cool to talk to him the first couple times."
Even though Loy committed after his freshman year, he made sure to continue to work at his craft so he could be able to contribute as soon as he got on campus. He threw a perfect game in one of his final high school starts and earned a handful of accolades throughout his Pigeon Forge career. In the three years since his commitment, Loy said it has also been great to see the strides Tennessee baseball has made.
"It gives you chills," Loy said. "It's pretty cool what they've done with the program."