BSB PREVIEW: #24 Vols Close Regular Season in OKC Against #20 Sooners

May 13, 2026 | Baseball

Watch (SEC Network+)Listen (Vol Network/UT Athletics App)Live Stats

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – No. 24 Tennessee will look to close out the regular season strong as it hits the road for Thursday-Saturday series against No. 20 Oklahoma.

MORE INFO

Game & Broadcast Info

Opponent: Oklahoma Sooners
Dates: May 14-16
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla.
Venue: Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (9,000)
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: Vol Network/UT Athletics App
Live Stats: UTStats.com
Game 1: Thursday, May 14 – 7:30 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Game 2: Friday, May 15 – 7:30 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Game 3: Saturday, May 16 – 3 p.m. ET (SECN+)

#24/NR Tennessee (34-18 | 13-14 SEC)

Roster Schedule Stats

#20/NR Oklahoma (31-18 | 13-14 SEC)

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

The Vols and Sooners first meeting as conference foes will be played at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, which is home to the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Comets.

GAMEDAY INFO

For all your gameday information regarding this weekend's series, click HERE.

Information and stadium policies for Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark can be found HERE.

BROADCAST INFO

Toby Rowland (PxP) and Blake Brewster (analyst) will have the call for all three games this weekend on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

Fans can also listen to the Voice of Tennessee Baseball John Wilkerson call the action for the Vol Network (FM 99.1/AM 990). A free audio stream will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

Game 1 – Thursday (7:30 pm ET):
UT: RHP Tegan Kuhns (12 GS, 4-4, 3.13 ERA)
OU: LHP Cameron Johnson (13 GS, 6-1, 3.53 ERA)

Game 2 – Friday (7:30 pm ET):
UT: LHP Evan Blanco (13 GS, 6-3, 4.56 ERA)
OU: RHP Xander Mercurius (15 APP, 0 GS, 0-0, 5.65 ERA)

Game 3 – Saturday (3 pm ET):
UT: TBA
OU: LHP Cord Rager (11 GS, 3-3, 5.32 ERA)

SERIES HISTORY

Vols vs. Sooners
Overall: Sooners lead, 3-1
in Knoxville: N/A
in Norman: N/A
at Neutral Sites: Sooners lead, 3-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 17, 2024 (L, 5-1 in 10 Inn. – Arlington, Texas)

This weekend will mark the first time the two programs have ever played a three-game series against one another. All four of the previous meetings came during tournaments at neutral sites.

The Vols' lone win against the Sooners came on March 6, 2022, when they defeated OU, 8-0, at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic in Houston.

NOTABLE

Kuhns Continues Dominating on the Mound
Sophomore right-hander Tegan Kuhns has been on an absolute tear since the start of April and has arguably been the best pitcher in the SEC since that point. In his six starts in April and May, Kuhns is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 36.2 innings pitched. He was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday for the second time in three weeks after a career-high 15 strikeouts and seven shutout innings in last Friday's 5-1 win over No. 4 Texas.

Kuhns's 15 strikeouts tied the SEC single-game high for this season set by LSU's Casan Evans against Oklahoma on March 19 and were the most by a Tennessee pitcher since James Adkins also struck out 15 in a win over Winthrop in the NCAA Knoxville Regional on June 4, 2005.

Another Year with 100 Dingers
With six home runs in Tuesday's midweek win over Belmont, the Vols eclipsed the 100-homer mark for the fifth straight season, becoming the first SEC team to ever accomplish that feat. UT's 105 long balls this season rank seventh nationally entering the final weekend of the regular season.

Just Catch It
Tennessee has shown drastic improvement defensively this season, ranking first nationally in fielding percentage (.987) while having committed the fewest errors (25) of any team in the country.

After finishing last year ranked 139th nationally and 15th in the SEC with a .970 fielding percentage, the Vols are on pace to shatter the single-season program record for fielding percentage (.980 in 2022). UT has committed one or fewer errors in 46 of its 53 games this season, including 37 contests in which it has not committed a single error.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Oklahoma Sooners (31-18, 13-14 SEC)

2025 Record: 38-22 (14-16 SEC)
2025 Postseason: NCAA Chapel Hill Regional (3-2)
2026 SEC Preseason Poll: 14^th
Head Coach: Skip Johnson
- Overall Record: 298-193 (9^th year)
- Record at OU: Same
Preseason All-Conference Selections (0):

The Sooners have lost three straight series and have posted a 3-6 record in those games entering this weekend's matchup against the Big Orange.

ON DECK

The Vols will head to Hoover, Alabama for the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met next week. UT will learn its seeding and schedule for the tournament following this week's series against the Sooners.