TJ Grines Becomes Second Skyhawk To Win OVC Male Athlete Of The Year Accolades
6/25/2026 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The historic award-winning season for University of Tennessee at Martin baseball standout TJ Grines continued today as he was crowned the 2025-26 Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year.
Grines is just the second Skyhawk to earn OVC Male Athlete of the Year honors, joining former men's basketball star Lester Hudson (2008-09, 2007-08) in that prestigious group. Overall, Grines is the sixth UT Martin student-athlete to be named an OVC Athlete of the Year, joining an elite crowd that includes Chelsey Perry (women's basketball, 2020-21), Ashia Jones (women's basketball, 2014-15), Heather Butler (women's basketball, 2013-14), Hudson and Caroline Groves (women's tennis, 1994-95).
A senior out of Alexandria, La., Grines was voted as the Skyhawks' first-ever OVC Player of the Year in baseball after turning in one of the greatest single seasons in school history. He became the first NCAA Division I baseball player to rack up at least 50 RBI's and 50 stolen bases in a single season since 2010, earning UT Martin's Bob Carroll Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year accolades and ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region second team honors in the process.
Grines became only the second Skyhawk outfielder to ever be named to the All-OVC first team after ranking first nationally in stolen bases (66) and stolen bases per game (1.20) – swiping 20 more bags than anybody else in the Division I ranks. He also ranked in the top-25 in the country in hits per game (1.69, third), runs scored per game (1.36, sixth), hits (93, 13th), runs scored (75, 13th) and batting average (.386, 25th).
Grines' 66 stolen bases were the most in OVC single-season history, a single-season UT Martin record (shattering a record that had stood since 1986) and the most in NCAA Division I baseball since 2007. In addition to stolen bases, he set Skyhawk single-season records in at-bats (241), runs scored and total bases (150) while also ranking in the program's top five in single-season history in hits (second), doubles (21, second) and RBI's (56, fifth).
Starting all 55 games out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, Grines was a primary catalyst for a UT Martin offense that ranked in the top-25 nationally in batting average (.320, fourth), doubles per game (2.47, sixth), doubles (136, 10th), stolen bases (145, 11th), stolen bases per game (2.64, 15th) and hits (609, 25th). He was a major part of a lineup that set single-season school records in NCAA Division I wins (26), runs scored (429, 45 more than the previous mark), hits, doubles, RBI's (387, 40 more than the previous record), total bases (934) and stolen bases.
Grines topped the OVC in hits (most in the league since 2022), runs scored, doubles and stolen bases (40 more than anybody else). He also ranked in the top-10 in the OVC in batting average (fourth), slugging percentage (.622, seventh), triples (3, sixth), OPS (1.061, eighth) and RBI's (eighth). In league play, he topped the OVC in hits (50), runs scored (41) and stolen bases (33) while ranking in the top-10 in batting average (.431, second), on-base percentage (.485, second), at-bats (116, second), OPS (1.235, third), slugging percentage (.750, fourth), home runs (9, fifth) and RBI's (28, sixth).
The right-handed hitting outfielder shattered the OVC and Skyhawk record for most stolen bases in a game with six swipes in the May 3 series finale at Western Illinois. Grines became the first UT Martin player to belt at least 20 doubles and 10 home runs since 2011 MLB Draft pick Trey Karlen accomplished that feat in 2010. He led the team with 33 multi-hit games while posting 15 multi-RBI contests, 18 multi-steal games and 20 games with multiple runs scored. He pieced together a season-best 14-game hitting streak from March 24 through April 17 and was named OVC Player of the Week on May 4.
Grines is just the second Skyhawk to earn OVC Male Athlete of the Year honors, joining former men's basketball star Lester Hudson (2008-09, 2007-08) in that prestigious group. Overall, Grines is the sixth UT Martin student-athlete to be named an OVC Athlete of the Year, joining an elite crowd that includes Chelsey Perry (women's basketball, 2020-21), Ashia Jones (women's basketball, 2014-15), Heather Butler (women's basketball, 2013-14), Hudson and Caroline Groves (women's tennis, 1994-95).
A senior out of Alexandria, La., Grines was voted as the Skyhawks' first-ever OVC Player of the Year in baseball after turning in one of the greatest single seasons in school history. He became the first NCAA Division I baseball player to rack up at least 50 RBI's and 50 stolen bases in a single season since 2010, earning UT Martin's Bob Carroll Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year accolades and ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region second team honors in the process.
Grines became only the second Skyhawk outfielder to ever be named to the All-OVC first team after ranking first nationally in stolen bases (66) and stolen bases per game (1.20) – swiping 20 more bags than anybody else in the Division I ranks. He also ranked in the top-25 in the country in hits per game (1.69, third), runs scored per game (1.36, sixth), hits (93, 13th), runs scored (75, 13th) and batting average (.386, 25th).
Grines' 66 stolen bases were the most in OVC single-season history, a single-season UT Martin record (shattering a record that had stood since 1986) and the most in NCAA Division I baseball since 2007. In addition to stolen bases, he set Skyhawk single-season records in at-bats (241), runs scored and total bases (150) while also ranking in the program's top five in single-season history in hits (second), doubles (21, second) and RBI's (56, fifth).
Starting all 55 games out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, Grines was a primary catalyst for a UT Martin offense that ranked in the top-25 nationally in batting average (.320, fourth), doubles per game (2.47, sixth), doubles (136, 10th), stolen bases (145, 11th), stolen bases per game (2.64, 15th) and hits (609, 25th). He was a major part of a lineup that set single-season school records in NCAA Division I wins (26), runs scored (429, 45 more than the previous mark), hits, doubles, RBI's (387, 40 more than the previous record), total bases (934) and stolen bases.
Grines topped the OVC in hits (most in the league since 2022), runs scored, doubles and stolen bases (40 more than anybody else). He also ranked in the top-10 in the OVC in batting average (fourth), slugging percentage (.622, seventh), triples (3, sixth), OPS (1.061, eighth) and RBI's (eighth). In league play, he topped the OVC in hits (50), runs scored (41) and stolen bases (33) while ranking in the top-10 in batting average (.431, second), on-base percentage (.485, second), at-bats (116, second), OPS (1.235, third), slugging percentage (.750, fourth), home runs (9, fifth) and RBI's (28, sixth).
The right-handed hitting outfielder shattered the OVC and Skyhawk record for most stolen bases in a game with six swipes in the May 3 series finale at Western Illinois. Grines became the first UT Martin player to belt at least 20 doubles and 10 home runs since 2011 MLB Draft pick Trey Karlen accomplished that feat in 2010. He led the team with 33 multi-hit games while posting 15 multi-RBI contests, 18 multi-steal games and 20 games with multiple runs scored. He pieced together a season-best 14-game hitting streak from March 24 through April 17 and was named OVC Player of the Week on May 4.
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