Baseball pitcher Garrett Stallings has benefitted from the support of athletic scholarships. He also had the opportunity to participate in the unique VOLeaders program, an initiative made possible by private donations.
Last June, 6’ 2” right-handed pitcher Garrett Stallings journeyed north to play in the Cape Cod League, the oldest and most prestigious college all-star summer league. In the Cape League tradition, he stayed with a local family.
As it happened, Stallings arrived in the Harwich, Massachusetts, home of Emmy Hamilton and her son, Charlie, just three weeks after Emmy’s husband, Quin, had died at 44 after a brief illness. “They treated me like I was one of their own,” Stallings says. “I was kind of a distraction for them from what they were going through.” For Stallings, a self-described “people person,” living with Emmy and Charlie as they worked through their grief was an opportunity to make a positive contribution to a difficult situation. “At the end of the day,” he says, “I’m glad it was me that got to be there. I still talk with them once every other week or so.”
Earlier in the year, Stallings had been chosen as the first UT baseball player to take part in the VOLeaders program, in which athletes develop leadership skills in the classroom and on a 10-day international mission trip. This unique and progressive initiative is made possible by private donations. Last summer, Stallings and his VOLeaders cohort, including soccer midfielder Katie Cousins, offensive tackle Trey Smith, and basketball forward Grant Williams, went to Ecuador.
In Ecuador our mission was helping people with disabilities. It was the greatest thing I’ve been a part of at UT.
– Garrett Stallings, pitcher, UT baseball
“The goal of VOLeaders is to learn how to use the platform of sport to help change the world for the better,” says Stallings. “In Ecuador our mission was helping people with disabilities. It was the greatest thing I’ve been a part of at UT. People in Ecuador have nothing, and they were always happy and family oriented and loving and warm. It’s such a different culture.
“Grant was almost fluent in Spanish, so that was a big help. Grant and I got to be great friends. He is so talkative and outgoing. He gives everybody the time of day. He is a great role model for the university.”
Stallings grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia. His father, Chris, is a technical recruiter with a large defense contractor. His mother, Kathryn, stayed at home with Stallings and his older brother Curtis, who played volleyball at Long Beach State in California. In Stallings’ recruiting process, he visited 20 schools, including the University of Miami. “When I set foot on campus at Tennessee, that was it. You kinda know. A beautiful place, atmosphere, and a culture filled with athletics. I wanted to be a part of the tide that turned the Volunteers back toward the top echelon of college baseball.”
Stallings has an 8–9 record and a 4.06 ERA in 36 appearances in his first two seasons. He is majoring in supply chain management, looking toward professional baseball, and hoping to apply the lessons of VOLeaders to helping others. “At the end of the day, I’m a people person.”
