Kuhns Dominates, Vols Top No. 4 Texas 5-1 in Series Opener at Lindsey Nelson Stadium

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tegan Kuhns delivered when Tennessee needed him most.

The sophomore right-hander held No. 4 Texas to four hits and no earned runs over seven innings Friday night, leading the Volunteers to a 5-1 victory over the Longhorns in game one of a three-game Southeastern Conference series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Friday night marked the first time the two programs have met in a regular-season series as conference opponents, with all five prior meetings having taken place at neutral sites. It was also the first loss of the season for the Longhorn’s Friday night starter

Texas lefty Dylan Volantis, a preseason first-team All-SEC selection who entered Friday’s start 7-0 with a 1.87 ERA, surrendered five runs on eight hits on what was a complete Tennessee offensive effort. The Vols drew two walks and struck out just six times as a team.

Tennessee’s starter Tegan Kuhns (4-4) struck out 15 batters, walked one and threw 113 pitches and 82 strikes in arguably his finest outing of the season. He retired the side in order in four of his seven innings and never allowed more than one Texas baserunner to reach scoring position in any inning.

The performance came against a Longhorns offense that entered the weekend ranked 22nd nationally with a .924 OPS and supported by the nation’s top fielding-independent pitching staff.

After 7 innings Elander made a trip to the mound. What happened? It was not to pull his Friday night starter.

Elander:: "I just thought it was a good moment for us to kind of take a little reset, a little deep breath. And what a performance by T. I mean, he was immaculate tonight.”

Kuhns: “He gets closer and he says, ‘they must be cheering for me because you’re staying in this game.’

Texas native Brandon Arvidson worked the final two innings for Tennessee, allowing three hits and one run with four strikeouts in 41 pitches to earn the save.

Blake Grimmer led Tennessee at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Manny Marin added a 2-for-4 effort. Grindlinger doubled and drove in a run, while Stone Lawless contributed a sacrifice and Levi Clark reached base twice. Grimmer’s and Marin’s doubles, both off Volantis, were the Vols’ extra-base hits on the night.

Tennessee stranded five baserunners but delivered when it counted, going 1-for-2 with runners in scoring position with two outs. Grindlinger’s two-out RBI was the key knock.

The Volunteers entered the weekend coming off a series loss at Kentucky, with coach Josh Elander keeping the same rotation despite Kuhns’ struggles in game one of that series the week prior. Friday night, Elander’s confidence was validated.

The victory was also a reunion of sorts on the coaching lines. Elander played and worked under Texas skipper Jim Schlossnagle at TCU, hitting .333 with 18 home runs and 114 RBI over 169 games before later serving as a student assistant on Schlossnagle’s staff in 2016.

Tennessee improved to 33-17 overall and 12-13 in SEC play. Texas fell to 36-11.

Beating a No. 3 RPI team at home counts as a Quadrant 1 win. It is the most valuable kind in the NCAA’s selection criteria. Texas entered with the No. 3 RPI in the country and the No. 7 strength of schedule nationally.

Tennessee had been projected as a No. 3 seed in several Field of 64 projections heading into the weekend, but was firmly on the bubble. The threshold for most SEC teams to make the tournament is generally 13 conference wins, and the Vols sat at 11-13 in SEC play entering Friday.

Since Texas is one of the strongest résumés in the country, even a one or two spot RPI jump from this result could be significant on the bubble.

Its not just one win. It is he right kind of win at exactly the right time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network+, with Texas right-hander Ruger Riojas (5-2, 3.71 ERA) slated to start opposite Tennessee left-hander Evan Blanco (5-3, 4.36 ERA.