LEBANON ‑ When Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello offered a scholarship to Lipscomb Academy third baseman Hunter High in August 2021, there was no reason for High to think about his decision.

Even fellow football players ridiculed Hunter’s assertion that playing offense and defense in the NFL would be more difficult than hitting and pitching a baseball at Shohei Ohtani’s level.

The expected top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL draft displayed an arm and some wonderful athleticism with the traveling troupe known as the Savannah Bananas baseball team. Hunter, the 2024 Heisman ...