KNOXVILLE, Tenn (WVLT) -- Bearden's 2012 baseball captain, Derek Lance, committed to Tennessee today.

The Knoxville native chose Tennessee over Vanderbilt, MTSU, Harvard, Cornell, Lipscomb and others.

Lance currently plays third base at Bearden and will likely serve as a utility player on Serrano's team.

Derek had this to say about his time with Serrano "I met with Coach Serrano on Friday and liked what he had to say about turning the program around, and was impressed with his coaching philosophies."

Specifically Serrano's comments about "bringing back the discipline on and off the field, and recruiting high character athletes" resonated with the young third baseman.