University of Tennessee Athletics
Kuhns, Grindlinger & Appenzeller Earn SEC Honors
May 18, 2026 | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Tennessee had three players earn SEC postseason recognition on Monday afternoon as the league announced its annual awards and all-conference teams.
Sophomore Tegan Kuhns was tabbed an All-SEC second team selection as a starting pitcher while the duo of Trent Grindlinger and Cam Appenzeller garnered SEC All-Freshman Team accolades.
This year marks the seventh consecutive season that UT has had at least one player earn All-SEC honors. It is also the fifth time in program history that the Vols have had multiple players earn SEC All-Freshman Team recognition and just the second time since 2008 after having three all-freshman team selections in 2022.Â
With a breakout sophomore season that featured an especially strong finish to the year, Kuhns emerged as the unquestioned ace of the Volunteers' pitching staff.
Kuhns led all qualifying UT pitchers with a 3.39 ERA over 14 appearances, 13 of those being weekend starts. The Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, native, finished the regular season with a 5-4 record and ranked among the SEC leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (third - 6.67), strikeouts (t-fourth – 100) and ERA (ninth).
In 77.0 innings pitched, Kuhns allowed just 15 walks and posted a 1.18 WHIP. Tennessee won five of Kuhns' last seven starts as the right-hander held opponents to two or fewer runs five times over his last seven outings, including an eight-inning, complete game shutout against No. 13 Alabama on April 24 that earned him multiple national player of the week as well as SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.
Two weeks later, Kuhns earned his second SEC Pitcher of the Week distinction after striking out a career-high 15 batters over seven shutout innings in a win over No. 4 Texas. The 15 punchouts were tied for the most in a single game by an SEC pitcher this season and marked the most by a Volunteers' hurler since James Adkins had 15 versus Winthrop in the 2005 NCAA Knoxville Regional.
After limited opportunities early in the season, Grindlinger burst onto the scene with three hits and five RBIs off the bench in the Vols' series finale at Vanderbilt on March 29. The California native started the 21 remaining SEC games from that point forward as UT's designated hitter and provided a much-needed jolt to the Tennessee lineup.
Entering the SEC Tournament, Grindlinger leads the team with a .357 batting average, .619 slugging percentage, a .434 on-base percentage and 1.053 OPS in 39 games played (32 starts). He also led the Big Orange with a .322 batting average and .398 on-base percentage in SEC play. Four of his eight home runs and 18 of his 28 RBIs on the year came during league play, as well.
Appenzeller quickly stood out as one of Tennessee's most talented arms early in the season and wasted no time making a name for himself in SEC play. The freshman lefty started conference play with four straight scoreless relief outings and posted 21.2 consecutive shutout innings before surrendering his first run in an SEC game.
For the year, Appenzeller boasts a 5-1 record in 17 appearances with one save and a 1.12 WHIP. Three of his five wins have come against SEC foes and the Illinois native ranks first among UT relievers and fourth overall on the team with 54 strikeouts this season.
The complete All-SEC teams and 2026 postseason award winners can be found HERE.
Kuhns, Grindlinger, Appenzeller and the rest of Vols take on South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Hoover Met.
Sophomore Tegan Kuhns was tabbed an All-SEC second team selection as a starting pitcher while the duo of Trent Grindlinger and Cam Appenzeller garnered SEC All-Freshman Team accolades.
This year marks the seventh consecutive season that UT has had at least one player earn All-SEC honors. It is also the fifth time in program history that the Vols have had multiple players earn SEC All-Freshman Team recognition and just the second time since 2008 after having three all-freshman team selections in 2022.Â
With a breakout sophomore season that featured an especially strong finish to the year, Kuhns emerged as the unquestioned ace of the Volunteers' pitching staff.
Kuhns led all qualifying UT pitchers with a 3.39 ERA over 14 appearances, 13 of those being weekend starts. The Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, native, finished the regular season with a 5-4 record and ranked among the SEC leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio (third - 6.67), strikeouts (t-fourth – 100) and ERA (ninth).
In 77.0 innings pitched, Kuhns allowed just 15 walks and posted a 1.18 WHIP. Tennessee won five of Kuhns' last seven starts as the right-hander held opponents to two or fewer runs five times over his last seven outings, including an eight-inning, complete game shutout against No. 13 Alabama on April 24 that earned him multiple national player of the week as well as SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.
Two weeks later, Kuhns earned his second SEC Pitcher of the Week distinction after striking out a career-high 15 batters over seven shutout innings in a win over No. 4 Texas. The 15 punchouts were tied for the most in a single game by an SEC pitcher this season and marked the most by a Volunteers' hurler since James Adkins had 15 versus Winthrop in the 2005 NCAA Knoxville Regional.
After limited opportunities early in the season, Grindlinger burst onto the scene with three hits and five RBIs off the bench in the Vols' series finale at Vanderbilt on March 29. The California native started the 21 remaining SEC games from that point forward as UT's designated hitter and provided a much-needed jolt to the Tennessee lineup.
Entering the SEC Tournament, Grindlinger leads the team with a .357 batting average, .619 slugging percentage, a .434 on-base percentage and 1.053 OPS in 39 games played (32 starts). He also led the Big Orange with a .322 batting average and .398 on-base percentage in SEC play. Four of his eight home runs and 18 of his 28 RBIs on the year came during league play, as well.
Appenzeller quickly stood out as one of Tennessee's most talented arms early in the season and wasted no time making a name for himself in SEC play. The freshman lefty started conference play with four straight scoreless relief outings and posted 21.2 consecutive shutout innings before surrendering his first run in an SEC game.
For the year, Appenzeller boasts a 5-1 record in 17 appearances with one save and a 1.12 WHIP. Three of his five wins have come against SEC foes and the Illinois native ranks first among UT relievers and fourth overall on the team with 54 strikeouts this season.
The complete All-SEC teams and 2026 postseason award winners can be found HERE.
Kuhns, Grindlinger, Appenzeller and the rest of Vols take on South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Hoover Met.
Players Mentioned
BSB | Josh Elander SEC Tournament Preview Press Conference (5.18.26)
Monday, May 18
BSB | Josh Elander Postgame Media at Oklahoma (5.16.26)
Saturday, May 16
BSB | Josh Elander Postgame Media at Oklahoma (5.14.26)
Friday, May 15
BSB | Hunter High Postgame Media vs. Belmont (5.12.26)
Tuesday, May 12
