Tegan Kuhns has made significant strides in his first 18 months at Tennessee. The right-handed pitcher endured an inconsistent freshman season before showing his upside last summer, when he shut down opposing hitters in limited action on the Cape Cod League.
That taste of success only fueled Kuhns’ push to improve. Despite changes to the Volunteers’ coaching staff, including the departure of respected pitching coach Frank Anderson, Kuhns has taken noticeable steps forward physically and in his overall skill set as he prepares for a pivotal sophomore season.
This spring, Kuhns will take on a larger workload after four Tennessee pitchers went in the first two rounds of last year’s MLB draft. He will also carry increased expectations beyond the program. He enters the season viewed by scouts as a potential first-round pick, based on his projection and raw ability.
“It’s a relieving feeling because it’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a baby,” Kuhns said. “I’ve always dreamed of being this professional athlete of some sort, and it’s always been baseball. So that’s kind of what all I know, and I absolutely love it, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me in this game.”
Kuhns arrived on campus as a well-regarded high school recruit from Maryland and showed flashes of his potential during his freshman season in 2025. He posted a 5.40 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 16 walks in 36 2/3 innings, making 10 of his 15 appearances as a starter.
A stint in the Cape Cod League marked a turning point. Kuhns flipped a switch, showing improved control and command of his full pitch mix, and the results followed. He finished the summer with a 1.35 ERA, striking out 20 and walking just one in 13 1/3 innings.
“My freshman year was a little bumpy. Little up and down. My main focus after last season was just being consistent,” Kuhns said. “I want to just dominate and attack and just be the guy every single outing, every single time I step on that field.
“I went into the Cape kind of pissed off, and just kind of showed who I really am, and what I could really be. And I that’s exactly what I did. I just, I stepped on the mound in the Cape, and my mentality was, ‘I’m going to get this guy, and nobody is better than me out here.’”
Now working under Tennessee pitching coach Josh Reynolds, who was on the Volunteers’ staff last season, Kuhns has refined his craft in hopes of taking another step forward this spring.
The 6-foot-4, 196-pound right-hander has added 36 pounds since arriving on campus and adjusted his pitch mix. He throws a fastball, slider, split-changeup and curveball from a three-quarters arm slot.
The fastball remains his primary weapon. Kuhns arrived at Tennessee sitting 88–90 mph, but the pitch has climbed to 98 mph with added movement entering the season. His slider is his best secondary offering, sitting 85–88 mph with significant movement. Kuhns has made notable progress with the pitch after eliminating his cutter.
His split-changeup has shown improvement during preseason work and pairs well with his fastball, while his curveball is primarily used as a get-me-over pitch to keep hitters off balance.
“I feel like it’s always been my mentality,” Kuhns said of his biggest strength. “I’m always like, nobody can beat me. Whoever’s in the box or steps in the box has absolutely no chance right when they put that first foot in there.”
Tennessee will have a new look this season following the departure of several coaches, most notably head coach Tony Vitello, who left to join the San Francisco Giants. Vitello built the Volunteers into one of the nation’s premier programs and guided Tennessee to the 2024 national championship.
Former associate head coach Josh Elander has since taken over as head coach, and the Volunteers do not expect a drop-off. Players have rallied around Elander, voicing strong support for his promotion and consistently describing him as the heart of the program. They have also praised the additions he made to the coaching staff, expressing confidence that the changes will allow Tennessee to remain among the nation’s elite as it looks to return to the College World Series after falling short in last year’s NCAA Super Regionals.
Kuhns said the key for Tennessee this season is continuing to gel as a group, trusting the coaching staff’s decisions and embracing a next-man-up mentality. He emphasized the importance of every player doing his job and believing in the teammate who follows, noting that collective trust and accountability could make the Volunteers a formidable presence in the SEC.
“Just don’t sleep on the Vols, baby,” Kuhns said. “Doesn’t matter that we got a new head coach. Don’t sleep on the Vols because we’re gonna get you.”
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for 11 years. He has interviewed 613 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 an “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
