Nearly 700 miles from home, two of Wisconsin’s best baseball prospects in recent years have reunited in orange and white. Nate Snead and Gavin Kilen grew up less than two hours apart — Snead, the hard-throwing right-hander from South Milwaukee, and Kilen, the slick-fielding infielder from Milton — but their baseball paths never quite crossed on the same team.
That changes this spring at Tennessee, where the Badger State duo is making an impact for a Vols squad with Omaha ambitions.
“It’s pretty cool,” Kilen said. “I have someone else I can relate to. It’s pretty cool to take pride in that and say you are from Wisconsin. I take a lot of pride from Wisconsin and Milton. So it is cool to have two of us here.”
Kilen and Snead arrived at Tennessee through the transfer portal, each seeking a new opportunity after starting their college careers elsewhere.
Snead made the move first, joining the Vols last season after his freshman year at Wichita State. He quickly became a key piece of Tennessee’s pitching staff, thriving as a multi-inning weapon on the Vols’ national championship team. Kilen, meanwhile, spent two productive seasons at Louisville before seeking a fresh start. He sought a new program that allowed him to compete at a high level and develop under top-tier coaching ahead of the MLB draft.
Kilen was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal last offseason, and Tennessee was among several top programs vying for his commitment. Snead played a key role in recruiting him to Knoxville, Tennessee, helping convince Kilen that the Vols were the right fit for his next chapter.
“He was an easy person to be in contact with because he wasn’t going to bullshit me,” Kilen said. “He was going to be completely honest with me about what goes on here with the culture of the team, atmosphere, players and coaches. As soon as I went into the portal, I had a lot of colleges reach out, and he was one of my first messages. That was pretty cool. He was a piece of it. It was good for me to have someone to talk to that could give me a different perspective than a coaching staff.”
Although Snead and Kilen never played together in high school, as Snead played travel baseball with Prospect Training Academy and Kilen at Hitters Baseball, Snead saw him as the impact player Tennessee needed to stay in championship contention.
“I was convincing him as much as I could to come here,” Snead said. “He’s a really good player. He’s a great guy, a great defender and has a really good bat. We knew we needed him.”
Now, both will play major roles for a Tennessee squad aiming for a return to Omaha and a second consecutive national title. Kilen has settled in as the Vols’ starting second baseman, shifting from his natural shortstop position due to the presence of Dean Curley, a projected first-round pick. On the mound, Snead has already been utilized in starting and multi-inning relief roles this spring. Regardless of his role moving forward, he will log valuable innings for a deep pitching staff this season.
With both players in their junior seasons, scouts project them as early-round picks in July’s draft.
For the two Wisconsin natives, sharing the field as teammates for the first time, while also being top draft prospects, makes this season even more meaningful. As roommates, they have embraced the journey together, but their focus remains on one thing — helping Tennessee capture another national title before their next chapter begins.
“Hearing people say we are going to go back-to-back — that is always the goal,” Snead said. “You never want to lose. We are going to try. But it’s not a lot of pressure. The guys know it’s part of us now after what happened last year. The process stays the same — we are going to go out there and compete and see what happens.”
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for 10 years. He has interviewed 580 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
