Photo via Tennessee Athletics
Former Tennessee baseball standout Hunter Ensley’s professional baseball career is over. According to his MiLB profile, Ensley retired from baseball on Dec. 16. Ensley just a few months of professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals organization before deciding to step away from baseball.
Ensley played just 15 games in High-A with the Quad City River Bandits last season where he hit .163 with eight RBIs and four walks. He played with his former Tennessee teammate Drew Beam for his time with Quad City.
The Huntington, Tennessee native spent five years in the Volunteer program including the final three as the starting center fielder.
“What an honor to be able to wear Tennessee across my chest for the past 5 years!” Ensley wrote in an Instagram post in June. “Forever grateful for all the memories and relationships Knoxville has brought me! Vol Nation, 
!”
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Ensley went unselected in the 2025 MLB Draft before signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Royals. He hit .336 with 10 home runs, 17 doubles and a career-high 62 RBIs from the three-spot during his redshirt senior season in 2025.
Ensley was extremely important to Tennessee’s national championship team in 2024 where hit .296 with 12 home runs and 15 doubles while playing stellar defense in centerfield. He struggled for much of the season but caught fire starting the first weekend of May as Tennessee won a three-game series at Florida.
In the College World Series, Ensley showed his mettle with his defensive toughness. He injured his hamstring colliding with the wall while making a spectacular catch against North Carolina. Ensley exited the game with an injury but returned to the lineup against Florida State as a designated hitter before returning to the field in the College World Series final series.
Then in game three of the College World Series finals, Ensley scored the game deciding run with a highly impressive swim move to evade a tag at home plate.