CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (TVC) – The 2026 Tennessee Volunteers Baseball team experienced a brief trip to the Chapel Hill Regional Tournament after losing their first two regional games. The Vols were eliminated from the NCAA Division 1 Baseball Tournament after a loss to the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams Saturday.
“I think the game has shown us we need to make some adjustments. We’ll make those in the offseason,” Vols head coach Josh Elander said after the game. “We’re excited to continue to get better, but congratulations to VCU.”
Elander finishes his first season as Tennessee’s Head Coach with a 38-22 record, ending on a three-game losing streak.
Pitching Problems
Tennessee opted to start the game with sophomore right-handed pitcher Tegan Kuhns, who had a 2-0 record over his last two starts with four earned runs, 20 strikeouts and only three walks. In this game, he recorded five strikeouts but gave up four hits and three runs.
Kuhns’ start concluded after only four innings of play. Elander later revealed that pulling Kuhns from the game was in his best long-term interest as Kuhns had been battling an illness for the past few days.
Following Kuhns’ exit, the Vols used three more pitchers. Brady Frederick gave up the remaining two runs to VCU, and he and Mark Hindy each pitched two-thirds of an inning.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Cam Appenzeller took over after Frederick and Hindy in the sixth inning after Frederick and Hindy. Appenzeller was the primary focus for the Vols’ pitching rotation that day, throwing the remaining two and two-thirds innings. He tallied 5 strikeouts and gave up no hits or runs, but his effort was insufficient for the Vols to secure a victory against the Rams.
Tennessee’s Up and Down Offense
The Volunteer offense stranded nine runners on base and struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Those nine stranded runners were one more than they left on base in Friday’s 14-inning game against the East Carolina University Pirates.
Another issue carried over from Friday’s loss to the Pirates was the number of times Tennessee hitters struck out. The Rams struck out seven different Volunteers, accumulating a total of 13 strikeouts against Elander’s offense.
Despite the loss, Tennessee managed to score four runs against the Rams, thanks to a two-run home run by Reese Chapman and a solo shot by Stone Lawless. Lawless also drove in the Vols’ final run with a deep sacrifice fly to center field in the eighth inning.
The Vols will head into the offseason looking to adjust their squad, hoping to return next year and advance further in the NCAA tournament.
