Tennessee baseball is looking to add a late addition to the team just weeks before the start of the season.

Pending approval of a final year of eligibility, the Vols have picked up former North Carolina first baseman Alberto Osuna.

This comes in the wake of first baseman Alex Perry stepping away from the program. Osuna most recently was with Division II Tampa.

Knoxville New Sentinel was the first to report.

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Osuna began his career at junior college Walters State. He was named the 2021 NJCAA DI Player-of-the-Year and a First Team All-American in his two seasons there.

Then, he joined the Tar Heels beginning in 2022 in what was considered his sophomore season. He would spend the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the team, as well.

During this time, Osuna hit at a .259 clip with 45 total home runs. He roped 32 doubles with 140 RBI and 116 runs.

In the field, he has recorded 37 put-outs and four assists without committing a single error.

He is hoping to gain his final year of eligibility through Diego Pavia's lawsuit that granted former junior college players eligibility.

Other options alongside Osuna at first base for Tennessee include junior Dalton Bargo, freshman Levi Clark and redshirt freshman Stone Lawless.

Vols head coach Tony Vitello was asked on Wednesday on his thoughts about Bargo leading the charge as potential first base options.

"About everybody and it was kind of like that in the fall," Vitello said. "I think we tried to set up and build confidence in (Alex Perry) because he's never really played that position before. But like a few of the others we've had, left field and DH in scrimmages isn't really as noticeable. Also where the infielders will be positioned. Those are four things that still have not changed and I don't think as long as everyone's healthy and not sick, we've had a couple guys get the flu and all that, I don't think they would've changed at any of those four spots or those four topics. So all four (are) open competition.

"I think as the scrimmage innings and the pitch count builds up, we get a better look and more reps to best guess. But I think until Feb. 14, I know we're supposed to be the coaches and we make the decisions, I think it's just an educated guess. And then when the season starts, we'll probably continue to have some movement and hopefully there'll be a little more come to light come SEC play. But many of the teams, we've been blessed here a couple years and maybe been spoiled by it, most of the teams you have in college, the starting rotation at the start of the year is not that at the end. And certainly the lineup at the beginning of the year is not that at the end."

Tennessee's first game is set for Feb. 14 to begin a three-game set vs. Hofstra.

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