Ooltewah High School senior T.J. Binder has committed to play baseball for Troy University.
“Part of [the reason] was playing time and part of it was feeling more comfortable with those coaches,” Binder said. “They said I’d be in the lineup somewhere my freshman year. I don’t know if it will be at third base, first base, catcher or DH.”
Binder has played primarily third base for Ooltewah.
“I think they’ll play him at third base and he’ll have a chance to catch some. He could play some at first early, but he’ll be hitting in the middle of their lineup,” Ooltewah coach Brian Hitchcox said. “He’ll give them a solid left-handed hitter.”
Binder, who moved to Chattanooga from Jacksonville, Fla., before his freshman season, had other scholarship offers from Tennessee Tech, Wake Forest, Marshall and Lee University and also was recruited by Tennessee and Southern Mississippi.