Tennessee Vols Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech 3-1

Blaine Brown and Levi Clark deliver key hits in the sixth inning to power the Vols to victory

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Tennessee's baseball team defeated Virginia Tech 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Vols scored two runs in the sixth inning to take the lead, and the bullpen combination of Mark Hindy and Brayden Krenzel closed out the win. Tennessee coach Josh Elander praised the performance of his pitching staff and discussed the team's offensive approach moving forward.

Why it matters

This win over a ranked Virginia Tech team continues Tennessee's strong start to the 2026 season. The Vols are looking to build on their success from last year and make a deep postseason run, and this victory against a quality opponent is an important step in that process.

The details

Blaine Brown and Levi Clark delivered key run-producing hits in the sixth inning to give Tennessee the lead. Mark Hindy earned the win in relief after getting the Vols out of a jam in the sixth, and Brayden Krenzel recorded a three-inning save to close out the game. Starter Evan Blanco pitched well for the Vols, and Elander was pleased with the overall performance of his pitching staff.

  • Tennessee (8-3) returns home for a pair of midweek games against ETSU on Tuesday and Oakland on Wednesday, both starting at 4 p.m. ET.
  • The Vols' next game is on Tuesday, March 5th.

The players

Josh Elander

The head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team.

Mark Hindy

A senior left-handed pitcher for the Tennessee Volunteers who earned the win in relief.

Brayden Krenzel

A right-handed pitcher for the Tennessee Volunteers who recorded a three-inning save.

Evan Blanco

A senior left-handed pitcher for the Tennessee Volunteers who started the game.

Blaine Brown

A Tennessee player who delivered a key hit in the sixth inning to help the Vols take the lead.

Levi Clark

A Tennessee player who delivered a key hit in the sixth inning to help the Vols take the lead.

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What they’re saying

“We talk about it all the time. There's so much that goes into it the night before, looking at matchups or lineups or what we think we're going to do. So, we really talked about, as a staff, just having a plan and sticking to it. You got to be able to adjust on the fly, but if the numbers are there to help you, we feel good.”

— Josh Elander, Head Coach (on3.com)

“It was electric. I mean, the fastball is up to 97, pitching in the bottom quadrants of the zone, running some up late change was good, sliders as good as I've seen him throw. So ton of confidence in Krenz, really good to see.”

— Josh Elander, Head Coach (on3.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This win over a ranked Virginia Tech team continues Tennessee's strong start to the 2026 season and shows the depth and resilience of their pitching staff, which will be crucial as the Vols look to make a deep postseason run.