Karaoke-inspired pitcher hangs up baseball glove for guitar

LIVINGSTON (AP) — After a long day on the mound and talking to scouts during a fall-ball baseball tournament last year in Colorado, Rob Wolf’s teammate Scott Tatum, who also plays with Wolf on the Livingston Braves, was adamant they find a place to do karaoke.

“I pitched that day and later on that night I was with Scott and he came up with the idea to go to a karaoke bar,” Wolf told The Livingston Enterprise.

Little did he know that random suggestion from Tatum would have a lasting impact on his future.

After some searching, they found a karaoke bar that was suitable — and legal — for them to attend.

While on stage with the mic in his hand, Wolf came to a realization.

“I made the decision there that I had more fun singing at the karaoke than I had pitching that day,” Wolf said.

With that realization, Wolf had his future to contemplate, as he was getting noticed by some colleges on the baseball diamond.

“That day I had like two or three D-II or D-III colleges come up to me and were attempting to recruit me,” he said.

This summer, Wolf has been a workhorse on the mound for the Braves. He’s been one of the Braves’ go-to starters and patrols the space in centerfield when he’s not on the bump.

He enjoys baseball, but he’s made the decision to move to Nashville next month to pursue a career in country music instead of playing college baseball.

“I had to make a decision between baseball and singing,” he said. “I was like, well, if I’m going to have more fun (singing), then that’s what I’m going to follow.”

The plan

Nashville was the natural choice for Wolf for a multitude of reasons. First, it’s the self-proclaimed country music capital of the world.

“It’s Music City, it’s where the stars are born,” Wolf said. “It’s...