BSB PREVIEW: #13/20 Vols Set to Face Loaded Field in Arlington

February 26, 2026 | Baseball

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ARLINGTON, Texas – No. 13/20 Tennessee will face its toughest tests to date as part of a loaded field of teams at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas this weekend.

MORE INFO

Game & Broadcast Info

Tournament: Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
Dates: Feb. 27-March 1
Location: Arlington, Texas
Venue: Globe Life Field (40,300)
Watch: FloCollege.com (Subscription Required)
Listen: UTSports.com/UT Athletics App
Live Stats: UTStats.com
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 27 – 4 p.m. ET (FloCollege)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 28 – 12 p.m. ET (FloCollege)
Game 3: Sunday, March 1 – 11:30 a.m. ET (FloCollege)

#13/20 Tennessee (6-2 | 0-0 SEC)

Roster Schedule Stats Notes

Arizona State (8-1 | 0-0 Big 12)

Roster Schedule Stats

#1/1 UCLA (6-2 | 0-0 Big 10)

Roster Schedule Stats

Virginia Tech (7-1 | 0-0 ACC)

Roster Schedule Stats UT Record Book Ticket Info Tournament Info Follow @UTGameday Tennessee Athletics App Buy Tennessee Gear

The Vols open their tournament slate against top-ranked UCLA on Friday afternoon before taking on Arizona State and Virginia Tech, both of which enter the tournament with just one loss.

TOURNAMENT INFO

Gameday information for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series can be found HERE.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for this weekend's games can be purchased HERE.

BROADCAST INFO

Bryant Freeman (PxP) and Ty Harrington (analyst) will have the call for Friday's contest against the Bruins. Ben Wilson (PxP) and Greg Swindell (analyst) will be the broadcast team for Saturday and Sunday's games against the Sun Devils and Hokies. All three games will be streamed live on FloCollege.com, which requires a subscription.

Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 vs. UCLA– Friday (4 pm ET):
UT: RHP Tegan Kuhns (2 GS, 1-0, 0.73 ERA)
UCLA: RHP Logan Reddemann (2 GS, 2-0, 3.60 ERA)

Game 2 vs. Arizona State – Saturday (12 pm ET):
UT: RHP Landon Mack (2 GS, 1-1, 1.42 ERA)
ASU: RHP Colin Linder (2 GS, 0-0, 2.08 ERA)

Game 3 vs. Virginia Tech – Sunday (11:30 am ET):
UT: LHP Evan Blanco (2 GS, 1-1, 2.00 ERA)
VT: TBA

SERIES HISTORY

Vols vs. Arizona State
Overall: 4-14
in Knoxville: 2-5
in Tempe: 2-4
at Neutral Sites: 0-5
Last Meeting: March 9, 2014, in Tempe, Ariz. (W, 6-4)

Vols vs. UCLA
Overall: 0-3
in Knoxville: 0-0
in Los Angeles: 0-0
at Neutral Sites: 0-3
Last Meeting: May 24, 1997, in Stillwater, Okla. (L, 5-3)

Vols vs. Virginia Tech
Overall: 8-10
in Knoxville: 2-2
in Blacksburg: 1-2
at Neutral Sites: 5-6
Last Meeting: April 16, 2013, in Greeneville, Tenn. (W, 5-4)

NOTABLE

Success in Early Season Tournaments
For the seventh time in the last nine seasons, Tennessee will play in a neutral site tournament during the non-conference slate.

In the six prior neutral site tournaments with head coach Josh Elander on staff, the Vols have posted an 14-4 overall record and have either won the tournament outright or finished in a tie for the best record five times.

Vols in Neutral Site Non-Conference Tournaments Since 2018
- 2025 Astros Foundation College Classic (Houston, Texas): 3-0 (Won Tournament)
     Opponents: #16 Oklahoma State (W, 5-2) | Rice (W, 13-3) | #24 Arizona (W, 5-1)
- 2024 Shriners Children's College Showdown (Arlington, Texas): 2-1 (Won Tournament)
     Opponents: #18 Texas Tech (W, 6-2) | Oklahoma (L, 5-1) | Baylor (W, 11-5)
- 2023 MLB Desert Invitational (Scottsdale/Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona): 1-2
     Opponents: Arizona (L, 3-1) | Grand Canyon (L, 4-3) | UC San Diego (W, 7-0)
- 2022 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic (Houston, Texas): 2-1 (Tied for Best Record)
      Opponents: #1 Texas (L, 7-2) | Baylor (W, 10-5) | Oklahoma (W, 8-0)
- 2020 Round Rock Classic (Round Rock, Texas): 3-0 (Won Tournament)
     Opponents: #1 Texas Tech (W, 6-2) | Houston (W, 8-4) | #25 Stanford (W, 7-2)
- 2019 Cox Diamond Invitational (Pensacola, Fla.): 3-0 (Won Tournament)
     Opponents: Louisiana-Monroe (W, 7-2) | North Florida (W, 10-2) | Western Kentucky (W, 6-3)

Abernathy Hitting His Stride
Sophomore speedster Jay Abernathy is off to a fast start this season and was one of the Vols' top performers last week, leading the team with a .500 batting average, seven hits, five runs scored, two doubles, four RBIs, 14 total bases, a 1.000 slugging percentage and two walks over four games.

The Acworth, Georgia, native, hit his first home run of the year in Friday's win over the Golden Flashes to give UT a 3-1 lead and batted .400 for the series. He continued his hot streak with a three-hit performance and three stolen bases in Tuesday's midweek win over Bellarmine. Entering the weekend, Abernathy leads the team with a .407 batting average and has reached base in all eight games this season while recording hits in five straight.

Swing and Miss Stuff
Tennessee's pitching staff has been racking up strikeouts in the early going this season, ranking 18th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (12.1). The Vols have recorded 10-plus strikeouts in six of their eight games this year, including a season-high 16 last Saturday against Kent State.

Rutgers transfer Landon Mack has compiled a team-high 20 punchouts over his two starts this year, which leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the nation entering this weekend.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Arizona State Sun Devils (8-1)

2025 Record: 36-24 (18-12 Big 12)
2025 Postseason: Los Angeles Regional (1-2)
2026 Big 12 Preseason Poll: 4^th
Head Coach: Willie Bloomquist
- Overall Record: 134-106 (5^th year)
- Record at ASU: Same
Preseason All-Conference Selections (3):
- IF Landon Hairston
- IF Austen Roellig
- RP Cole Carlon

UCLA Bruins (6-2)

2025 Record: 48-18 (22-8 Big 10)
2025 Postseason: Men's College World Series (1-2)
2026 Big 10 Preseason Poll: 1^st
Head Coach: John Savage
- Overall Record: 819-566-3 (25^th year)
- Record at UCLA: 731-482-2 (22^nd year)
Preseason All-Conference Selections: No Team Released

Virginia Tech Hokies (7-1)

2025 Record: 31-25 (12-18 ACC)
2025 Postseason: N/A
2026 ACC Preseason Poll: 11^th
Head Coach: John Szefc
- Overall Record: 622-434-4 (21^st year)
- Record at VT: 230-175 (9^th year)
Preseason All-Conference Selections: No Team Released

ON DECK

The Vols return to Knoxville for five games next week, starting with a pair of midweek matchups against ETSU on Tuesday and Oakland on Wednesday before hosting Wright State for a weekend series that begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m.