Tennessee Vols fall to No. 1 UCLA in high-scoring affair

Bruins slug four home runs in 12-5 victory over Volunteers at Globe Life Field

Feb. 28, 2026 at 1:37am

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The top-ranked UCLA Bruins defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 12-5 in a high-scoring affair at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Bruins slugged four home runs, including a six-run seventh inning, to pull away from the Vols. Tennessee's Chris Newstrom had a strong game with three hits, but the Vols' pitching struggled to contain UCLA's powerful offense.

Why it matters

This matchup between two top college baseball programs provided an early-season test for the Volunteers, who are looking to build on their success from last season. The loss to the No. 1 Bruins highlights areas Tennessee needs to improve, particularly on the mound, as they prepare for the rest of their challenging non-conference schedule.

The details

Tennessee starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns struck out a career-high 10 batters but allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits in six innings of work. The Bruins' Logan Reddemann picked up the win after tossing 5.1 innings of three-run baseball. Tennessee's Chris Newstrom had a standout game, falling a double shy of the cycle, but the Vols' defense struggled at times, with third baseman Henry Ford committing a couple of errors.

  • The game was played on Friday, February 28, 2026 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
  • Tennessee will return to action in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series on Saturday, February 29, 2026 against Arizona State at 12 p.m. ET.

The players

Josh Elander

The head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team.

Tegan Kuhns

The starting pitcher for the Tennessee Volunteers, who struck out a career-high 10 batters but allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits in six innings of work.

Chris Newstrom

A Tennessee Volunteers player who had a three-hit game, falling a double shy of the cycle.

Logan Reddemann

The winning pitcher for the UCLA Bruins, tossing 5.1 innings of three-run baseball.

Henry Ford

The Tennessee Volunteers third baseman who committed a couple of defensive errors in the game.

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What they’re saying

“I thought Tegan [Kuhns] threw the ball well to start the game. [Their] guys put some good swings on it there, kind of a tip of the cap or whatever it may be. But again, when you don't compete over the white, and you walk guys, hit by pitches, free 90s all over the place – I think we had eight-plus after Tegan came out of the game – that's never going to be a recipe for success.”

— Josh Elander, Head Coach, Tennessee Volunteers

“I think he was competing with four pitches. Had the curveball going, slider was good tonight, threw a couple good right-on-right change-ups – I know Roch (Cholowsky) got a good swing on one down the line – but just competing in the strike zone. If a guy gets tagged and gives up a two-run homer. You can live with that, right? But if they're not, if they're feathering pitches around and not throwing with conviction, that's not something that we can have going on.”

— Josh Elander, Head Coach, Tennessee Volunteers

What’s next

Tennessee will look to bounce back on Saturday when they face Arizona State at 12 p.m. ET in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series.

The takeaway

This loss to the top-ranked UCLA Bruins highlighted areas where the Tennessee Volunteers need to improve, particularly on the mound and in the field, as they continue their challenging non-conference schedule. However, the strong performance by Chris Newstrom provides a positive sign for the Vols' offense moving forward.