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Todd Raleigh is keeping his word about going after the best in-state talent Tennessee.

The first-year University of Tennessee baseball coach received an early 2008 commitment from Goodpasture pitcher Adam Adkins this past weekend.

“I went up for my visit on Saturday and they were the best coaching staff I’ve met with,” Adkins said. “I knew they were the right people to be with.

“They want to win a championship and so do I.”

The Goodpasture left-hander picked the Vols ahead of Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Georgia, Kentucky and several others.

As a junior with the Cougars, Adkins went 11-0 with a 1.04 ERA and 107 strikeouts as he earned team MVP honors for the Class AA state champions.

He pitched two no-hitters, including one in the district championship game against Donelson Christian Academy.

Adkins also hit .408 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 39 RBIs.

At the state tournament in Murfreesboro, he connected on a key triple to help eliminate Seymour and he pitched a TSSAA state-tournament record 11 innings in a victory against Dyer County.

Both of Adkins’ parents are UT grads and he has two brothers attending UT, Josh in law school and Zach in pre-dentistry.

“It’s just really exciting,” Adkins said. “The UT staff knows what they’re doing and I felt really comfortable with them.

“I knew with (pitching) Coach (Fred) Corral I’d be in good hands. He’s probably the best and most respected pitching coach in the nation.”

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.