Tennessee Baseball Faces Kent State in Weekend Series

Vols look to extend undefeated start against Golden Flashes

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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The Tennessee Volunteers baseball team is set to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes in a three-game weekend series. Tennessee enters the matchup undefeated at 4-0 after defeating Nicholls State and UNC Asheville to start the season. Kent State comes in with a 3-1 record, with their lone loss coming against LSU. The Vols will start their usual Friday, Saturday, and Sunday pitchers - Tegan Kuhns, Landon Mack, and Evan Blanco - who have combined for 26 strikeouts so far this season. This series will be the final tune-up before Tennessee heads to Texas for a tough slate of games against multiple opponents.

Why it matters

This weekend series against Kent State provides the Volunteers an opportunity to continue their undefeated start to the season and build momentum heading into a challenging stretch of games in Texas. A strong performance could help solidify Tennessee as an early-season contender in college baseball.

The details

Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander will send his usual starting rotation to the mound, with Tegan Kuhns taking the Friday start, Landon Mack on Saturday, and Evan Blanco on Sunday. The trio has combined for 26 strikeouts through the first four games of the season. Kent State enters the series with a 3-1 record, with their lone loss coming against SEC powerhouse LSU by just three runs. The Golden Flashes will look to pull off an upset and hand the Volunteers their first loss of the year.

  • The series opener is scheduled for 4:30 PM EST on Friday, February 20, 2026.
  • Game two will take place on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
  • The series finale is set for Sunday, February 22, 2026.

The players

Josh Elander

The head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team.

Tegan Kuhns

Tennessee's Friday starting pitcher, who had 8 strikeouts in 6.2 innings in his first outing.

Landon Mack

Tennessee's Saturday starting pitcher.

Evan Blanco

Tennessee's Sunday starting pitcher.

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What’s next

After this weekend series, Tennessee will head to Texas for a tough slate of games against multiple opponents, which will be the Volunteers' toughest test so far this season.

The takeaway

This weekend's series against Kent State provides Tennessee an opportunity to continue their undefeated start and build momentum heading into a challenging stretch of games in Texas. The Volunteers' starting rotation has been dominant so far, and they will look to keep that momentum going against the Golden Flashes.