Tyler Myatt (April 2, 2026)

Local kid playing for his hometown team is still surreal for Tennessee's Tyler Myatt who joined Mike Keith and Ross Kivett for this week's Kiv's Korner, presented by Calhoun's.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

It's time for the show within the show. It's Kibb's Corner with Ross Kibbitt, Tennessee assistant baseball coach, recruiting coordinate, presented by his favorite restaurant, Calhoun's. Calhoun's with nine locations around Knoxville. It's a taste of Tennessee. Ross Kibbett, welcome. And we have a special guest who I'm sure has been to Calhoun's. He has. On multiple occasions, maybe even for special occasions.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

He grew up an enormous Tennessee ball fan. He's from Taswell, Tennessee. The triple crown winner, Mike, last year in junior college at Walter State. He's a transfer student. Uh red shirt sophomore. Freshman year you got hurt, but over 30 homers, over 100 RBIs, and he scored a bunch of runs as well on a team that went uh to the college world series for junior college.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Tyler Myant. Tyler, it's great to have you. Now, the big thing, the porches in Duco are not short.

unknown 1:05

No.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

I mean, it's not like you're playing on 280-foot fences. I don't know. Walters is pretty short. Well, but I mean, you hit, I mean, the stories about some of the bombs you hit were pretty strong. Yeah, none of them really that close.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

You're allowed to gas yourself up on Kipps Corner.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Yeah. Because it's a shout-out show. It's a shout-out show. Shout out Walter State.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Your first game that you went to as a Tennessee baseball fan was when?

SPEAKER_00 1:34

It was actually against the Van D boys. It was when Evan Russell hit the three home runs, two off Jack Lodder, then the last one was off the Elite. That was exciting game. Yeah, it was crazy. We was uh I was actually on the video that they showed Thursday before we left. I was actually in both of the replay videos. No what? Where were you sitting? I was sitting in the family section on both times.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

And how do you get those tickets?

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Pretty penny. It was a pretty penny. Uh I think I was sophomore. Sophomore year was Evan Russell. Okay. I think it was sophomore year. Oh, high school. Sophomore. High school. Yeah. And then the 24 team at Vandy. Gotcha. When SEMO hit the the one to right field.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Growing up a balls fan, is it kind of surreal that you get to play every day now for your hometown team?

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Yeah, it's kind of crazy. The fall still didn't seem real at all. Like it was, I was still in the like, am I really here? I would say the first real moment was like the first two weeks of school. I walk in here and all the football was practicing. I was like, Yeah, these dudes are huge. Like, I don't like I'm pretty short, dude. Like he says he's 6'1, but I'm 6'2. I'm as tall as he is. So tall. Are you 6'2? No, I'm I'm like 5'11. He's not. He's not. I'm a short guy.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

I'm not. So that we could get into this argument for 20 years.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

When I stand on first base, though, I'm up there with him.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

So the country. I like when he stands up there on first base, which you've done a really nice job here recently. What has pinch hitting done to kind of spark or get you going again to now every day in the lineup?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Yeah, I feel like it's when he tells me when we do our little dab up and hug before every game, he's like, be ready. I was like, okay, let's be ready for this A-B. But more it's like put all one energy in one A B, and then I know I'm going to be done short time after that. So why not get the most out of it? Can I ask a pinch hitter question?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

I've always been fascinated with this with guys who are really good pinch hitters. What's your routine to be ready, especially not knowing when that at bat is going to come?

SPEAKER_00 3:37

Anytime past the third inning, I'm almost always in the wait room between innings, like doing jump rope or something. Me and Keegan's kind of like been together, like what to do, what not to do, but kind of like normally when I have an idea I'm about to pinch shit, I'm probably in the dugout no more than 15 minutes. Like it's I'm always going back there, like doing something. Does somebody come get you? Um usually, right? Yeah, me and Chuck don't really talk a ton throughout the game, and he's like, all right, we'll be loose just in case. So just leave the dugout and I go to the weight room.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

What about the adjustments? So you put up these huge video game numbers at Walter State. You guys win a ton of games, you play forever, have a great summer. You were in the Apple League first, and then went to Cape Cod and had an unbelievable summer. We're sweating it out, hoping that you know it's time. And then you have a fall that might not have been up to your expectation or your standard. And then now you're adjusting to Division I pitching, but more specifically SEC pitching. How has your game changed or maybe even stayed the same from this is what I do great, I've done in my whole life, to hey, I need to adjust because the arms in this league are a little different.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Yeah, the adjustment was definitely real, but I feel like the struggle in the fall was definitely needed because I was basically hot for a whole year, but then coming in the fall, having some struggles. It was kind of like a humbling moment, and I needed it because I couldn't do the same stuff I didn't juco now to D1 level. So definitely had to adjust.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

What about defensively? Because we've played you all over. You've played some third, some second, you've gone out to the outfield and made some plays, and then DH, which is a position that's harder than what most people think. How have you kind of handled the multitude of spots?

SPEAKER_00 5:12

Yeah, you know, I kind of like it, especially uh I'll say it like with the scout meetings and stuff. They they ask me, like, you know, what can you play, what can you not play? And I just kind of put myself on like, I want to be able to have my body wherever I can play, you know, whatever team that hopefully drafts me one day, but also mainly just to get on the field for Tennessee, you know, because that's I don't care if I have to stay here for three more years, like I want to play. You like hearing that.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

I do. Yeah, three more years. What did you, position wise, what would you say you came to Tennessee as? If somebody had stopped you in the mall and said, Hey, you're gonna play for Tennessee, what position do you play? What would your answer have been? I honestly just said utility. Utility. Okay. I mean, that's a great way to come in to be th not to say because some guys say, I'm a shortstop. And they say, Well, what else can you play? I don't play anything else. I'm a short, every shortstop thinks that they're just a shortstop.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Yeah. Yeah. Cause last year I kind of played, like obviously I didn't play that much defense on the field, but like on IO, I would just try out different stuff. Like I'd go to first, third, second, left, center. Like I would just kind of go everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

I'll compliment our guest. He's done an unbelievable job since we got him. And I think some of the errors this season have been just because of reps. He hasn't had that many reps. And and I this isn't a jab at the junior college, but when you don't get the game reps, it's hard to come to the SEC speed and be a premium gold glover. But you've made some plays at Georgia, you've turned some double plays, you've gone out the left and made some plays early in the preseason. I I think he's kind of underselling the versatility. And versatility is accessibility. You get to get in the lineup more when you can play there. So I will compliment kudos, shout out to Tyler for being a good defender. That'll way.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

You'll take it. Yeah, I'll take it.

SPEAKER_02 6:58

Well, what about the recruiting process? You're going through it, teams are starting to call you, and then you get a call from Coach E. Lander that now Tennessee's putting their hat in the mix. What's that day like?

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Yeah, it was definitely wild. Uh it's a funny story. Like, all these schools, basically a ton of schools in the country were texting me. I was like, so where's the boss? Like, what are we doing? It was the Saturday before Saturday, y'all played in Kentucky. And I remember you came to watch me when we played down here at Pelissippi, and I was like, I done good. I went like three for three, had like four RBIs. Every game and two. And then the other kid that y'all were y'all came to watch didn't do so hot. So I was like, maybe, maybe this is the time. So Saturday that you text me before my sister played at Walter State 2. She was pitching at the time, done really well, but it was like a sophomore day for JUCO. And she actually got a pinch hit, she hit home run. So it's just it was kind of crazy. And then like 30 minutes later, you texted me, and I just started bawling my eyes out. And I was like, This is unreal. Showed my mom, she was crying. Is it an offer at that point?

SPEAKER_02 8:04

No, it was just a text. Okay, it was just a signal. I needed him to come to the game the next day, I think. Yeah, because at V and E were like, hey man, we got to press this because he's starting to get some eat. And I think that's the the text is like, hey, I I think it was Easter Sunday. Yeah, it was you need to come on Easter. Well, I was following you.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

I text him, I was like, dude, I'll come tomorrow. I was following you through the year, and I'm thinking, surely we're gonna offer him, right? I mean, he's come on, Kim. He's really he's really good. I mean, as a fan, that's what you do. You know, you sit and you follow guys, and you're like, and sometimes their skill set doesn't, you don't feel like it'll translate. I get it. The fans don't know, but when you got a guy putting up these numbers and he's local, and yeah, and it's good Juko ball in this state. It's always been good juko ball.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

And the the junior college he was at is one of if not the top one of the country. We would have scrimmages that schools would come watch. We have red charts over at the 96. Like it was kind of it was kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

What about the off-the-field stuff? How many tickets are you having to get for every game? I know your parents come a lot. Your twin sister, right? Shout out, twin sister gets to come to the games. How's that been?

SPEAKER_00 9:10

It's kind of crazy. I think one game I had, it's like two weeks ago, I had 20 people show up. It was like it was a ton of people. I was like, I I don't know if I can get them, but I can drive. But luckily, we have some some out-of-state kids that their parents like don't get to come to every game.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

So I can what are you majoring in?

SPEAKER_00 9:25

Communications. Okay. What would you like to do after you're done in the major leagues? It's a great question. I don't really know.

SPEAKER_02 9:31

But coach hitting. This would be cool. You could do this. This is fun. Yeah. You it's harder than it looks. It does look hard. Believe me, Mike has to keep me on task. Growing up in the Knoxville area, who was your favorite player? It could be football, basketball, baseball. Who did you idolize, you know, when you're putting the jersey on in middle school and saying it's Valls Day? Drew Garrett was always fun to watch. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

But I would say Jordan Beck was cool. Yeah. Big leader. That's kind of a recent one. Trey Lipscomb was fun to watch. Trey Lipscomb was fun. Yeah, he's he is an unbelievable human. Yeah, it was cool to he came to talk to us that one time. That was that was really cool.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

Yeah. Trey Lipscomb, great story. I know it's your time in the corner, but didn't play for three and a half years. And then he finally gets a chance his fourth year, his redshirt year, so kind of a similar story. And he goes off. He should be SEC player of the year, but he he wasn't because there's a little politics in it. Whatever. And then makes it to the major leagues in less than a full season. So I think he's a great story that we use in recruiting. What about some of the it's not going as you like, right? And you get taken out. How do you stay? And this is more for people that watch, especially kids, because everyone thinks, oh, you got to play, you got to play, you got to play. How do you stay so hooked up, whether it be a pinch hit or a spot start, to now here comes the production, I'm back in there, I'm ready to go.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yeah, it kind of gives you more motivation, but always look at it, but your attitude, because attitude don't slump. Like it's going to show up no matter what. You know, your hitting could go bad, fielding could go bad, but attitude, it's your choice whether you want it to stay the same or not.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Well, and you're sort of a mellow guy, so it seems.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Yeah. Which is a great way to be as a baseball player. Yeah, kind of always the same. Get it from a mom. She played softball too at uh Lincoln Memorial University. Shout out. Shout out Harrigett.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

I think too, another thing that that you bring to our club, like Coach Keith saying, is the stability of you know what you're gonna get. But when you go to second base and you're playing Georgia, and this is a childhood dream of yours, and you turn a double play with Henry that saves a game, preserves a lead, and then we add on in the eighth to win the game. What's going through your head on the bus home besides elation? And like you take the jersey off and go, wow.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Yeah, you know, it's kind of crazy. It's kind of my friends kind of remind me of it, like, hey, you're still there. Remember, like good or bad, you know, you got yourself there, but I'm like, I really want to do good though. But my best friend, Dakota, he's still at Walker State. He was like, you know, you've probably just knocked on what a lot of people are never gonna do here, right? I was like, Yeah, it's pretty cool, but you know, I still want to win. He was like, the winning is good, but you know, you're still there. Like it's still pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

What's the biggest transition for a junior college student when you go from junior college to a four-year school like Tennessee? It's a good move. Is it in the classroom? Is it the amount of stuff that you have to get done? Is it the overwhelming nature of going from a smaller place to a bigger place? What really stands out to you?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

I would say definitely all the classes are, but the teachers. I'm not, I ain't gonna lie, Walter State was tough. Like that. School was tough. Really? And like we had a we still have a group chat from last year's team. They're like, Walter State was hard. Like the division one, division two stuff, like this stuff is a breeze.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

Shout out Megan Anderson for keeping us all hooked up. So she's done a great job.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

You're saying they really got you ready for this to where you feel like you can handle it because you've already boy, that's a real compliment to Walter State.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yeah, last year at one point I was taking seven classes. And I go in there and talk to Coach Shelton, and he's like, Why are you taking seven classes? Are you not coming back? And I was like deep in my head, I was like, Well, I don't really know. I probably hope not, but I mean, I'll drop two if I need to. He's like, Yeah, drop two because you're coming back. And I was like, I was like, okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

In junior college, they have the ability to come back if they redshirt the first year. Three to play two. The guy's a I mean, he was the player of the year. Yeah, you know, kind of was won the triple crown. Of course, Coach Shelton wants him. Shout out, Coach Shelton. I'd want him back too. I do want him back. He said three years. What about off the field? What's something you like to do? Because obviously, local kid fans are are enjoying your production. You're you're a Twitter hero. Well, what do what do you like to do off the field?

SPEAKER_00 13:46

I love to hunt and fish. Uh all my friends got big diesel trucks, so that's that's kind of cool. Country song. Yeah, I love trucks. That's I could I could do that when I get done. I really love to build trucks.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

You know, you love to build trucks.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Yeah, like I just I just done some stuff to mine, so that was pretty cool. Ricky, uh Ricky Martinez was making fun of my last truck. It had big spikes on the on the wheels, had like big 26-inch wheels, and had like big orange spikes on it, and he kept making fun of me. But I got some different stuff on my my new one, so that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 14:17

I I don't even know how to follow up to the truck, coach.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

I I walk everywhere. Yes, yeah. Love to fish, that's the biggest thing. Where do you like to go fishing? Norris Lake. Norris, it's not it's big enough where it flows kind of over here a little bit, too, so it's not too far.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Do you follow a lot of major league baseball?

SPEAKER_00 14:34

I follow players. Okay. You don't have a team? I like the Yankees. Hey, yeah. I knew you guys were gonna.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Oh man. I appreciate you and the way that you've gone about your business. Do you have any remarks on uh obviously it's an LSU week, right? It it we're on to the next SEC series. Well, what does the next few weeks look like um for you and your teammates?

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Yeah, we're gonna go compete no matter what. Uh hopefully go win some more games, obviously. But you know, we're gonna go compete. We're definitely gonna hook it up this week to be over ready for this weekend.

SPEAKER_02 15:04

How does one bounce back from a tough week? And and obviously, you know, three one-run games in this league, it's so it you I don't know mathematically if the probabilities of doing that is is over like three percent, if that it's low. It's gotta be low. But how does one reset their mind on a Monday or a Tuesday to get uh you know into this into this next SEC series?

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Yeah, it's definitely like the attitude thing, kind of what I talked about. But most of all, it's definitely turning the page like what Coach E always says, you know, we gotta focus on this week and not what's behind this. Good guest.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Great guest, local Calhoun's sponsor of Kib's Corner. I'm happy every time I eat Calhoun. I am too. Title My Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ross Kibbit, thank you. Thank you, Coach Keaton. We say beat L S U as we go to break. Yes, we do.