YouTube sensation Ariel Antigua lives up to promise at Tennessee

HOUSTON – Ever since Ariel Antigua was old enough to hold a baseball and hoister up a glove, his father Luis Antigua saw his potential. At 5 years old, the University of Tennessee sophomore was hitting off a batting machine, consistently crushing high-velocity fastballs.

By 13 years old, the West Palm Beach, Fla., native threw over 90 mph too. 

As soon as Ariel showed interest in baseball, his father stepped in to show him the proper way to play. The elder Antigua played baseball in the Dominican Republic before moving to the United States. Luis was a middle infielder during his playing days. 

When Ariel was 5 years old the family moved to New Jersey, where baseball training in the winter happens indoors for obvious reasons. Ariel Antigua would consistently train with his two older brothers.

Ariel Antigua follows older brothers

While his two other brothers practiced in the cage, Ariel decided to give hitting a shot. Striding in the cage with an adult-sized bat, Ariel was hitting 85-mph fastballs. 

This ability garnered him millions of views on YouTube. He was interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel, and he met famous Dodgers. Ariel Antigua became an internet sensation. People called him a young phenom. Antigua, who inherited Puerto Rican roots from his mother and Dominican roots from his father, is showcasing his talent with the defending national champion Volunteers. 

“I grew up playing baseball my whole life,” Ariel Antigua said. “My dad put me in a position to always be great. He pushed me forward all the time so I could have the best opportunities. 

Knowing that the 5-foot-8 shortstop would have to work harder because of his height, Luis had Ariel on a strict regimen. At 6 a.m., Luis and Ariel would go to the gym to train. They worked on getting stronger by lifting weights. After school they would practice infield drills and do long toss to get his arm stronger. 

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At times Luis struggled to wake Ariel up in the morning. After much persuasion from his father, Ariel would eventually rise up for his morning workout. When he was 13, the sophomore slugger entered a Perfect Game near New Jersey. Antigua was one of the smallest players working out at shortstop. Despite his size, he was the only one who reached 90 mph on his throws. 

Once he saw his promise, Ariel Antigua was more enthusiastic about his baseball workouts. He was rated the No. 34 shortstop in the nation and No. 7 in Florida by Perfect Game out of high school.

Grateful son

Now the 20-year-old middle infielder is grateful for his dad’s persistence and sacrifices he showed to help Antigua reach his potential. 

“He worked late and woke up early to take me to my games,” Antigua said of his dad. “He told me if I want to do something great, I have to do it for myself.”

The elder Antigua is Ariel’s my infield coach.

“That’s where I get all my skills, you can say,” Ariel says of his dad. “He’s not a better infielder than me, but he’s still the best coach I know.” 

In his first career start for Tennessee, Antigua tied the school record with nine assists against Tennessee Tech a year ago. He also made a highlight reel sliding grab to demonstrate his defensive ability. 

Injuries have hampered his collegiate career. Antigua tore his ACL, which caused him to miss his senior year of high school. He later injured his thumb at Tennessee. However that hasn’t stopped head coach Tony Vitello from trusting Antigua late in games. 

Antigua appeared twice as a defensive replacement in the 2024 College World Series against Texas A&M to help secure leads. Vitello needed his best defense to seal the victory, so he put Antigua at shortstop. 

Volunteering Vol

When Ariel Antigua is not on the baseball field or studying, he often volunteers for Kids Cancer Foundation. His younger brother Johan had Leukemia when he was 8 years old, so he understands the struggle those families go through.

“I am very proud of the man (Ariel) has become,” Luis Antigua says. “He turned to a man who can talk and express himself. He’s great with kids. We have great communication. When something isn’t right he sends me videos. At the end of the day I want my son to be better than me.”