Six Vols selected in MLB Draft; player representatives announced for SEC Media Days

In recent years, products of the Tennessee baseball program have become very familiar with the MLB Draft. This past weekend was not an exception. Last Saturday and Sunday, six Vols players heard their names called in Philadelphia as part of the 20-round MLB Draft. It is the sixth-straight draft in which at least six Tennessee players have been selected. The first Vol off the board went on Saturday in the first round, as right-handed pitcher Tegan Kuhns went 32nd overall to the St. Louis Cardinals. Kuhns was a second team All-SEC selection this spring. He led Tennessee with 106 strikeouts and posted a 3.56 earned run average in 80 ⅓ innings. This year marked the second in a row where the Cardinals took a Tennessee pitcher on Day 1 after they selected Liam Doyle with the fifth overall pick in 2025. Third baseman Henry Ford was taken in the fifth round (191st overall) by the Seattle Mariners. Ford spent one season at Tennessee after transferring in from Virginia. This spring in 58 games, he hit for a .293 average, a .964 OPS, 20 home runs, and 57 RBI. He was the first Vol taken by the Mariners since 2014. In the seventh round, the Philadelphia Phillies picked Bo Rhudy with the 219th overall selection. The Chattanooga native spent one season in Knoxville after transferring in from Kennesaw State. Rhudy made 23 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.38 ERA, 41 strikeouts, and six walks. He was the first Vol taken by the Phillies since Andrew Schultz in 2019. Ten picks later, the Los Angeles Angels used their eighth round selection on UT catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright. Wright spent one season with the Vols after two years at Bowling Green. This spring, slashed .348/.439/.594 with nine home runs, 30 RBI, and 19 hit by pitches. He is the seventh Tennessee player taken by the Angels since 2019. Left-handed pitcher Brandon Arvidson was selected in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs, 367th overall. Arvidson played two seasons in Knoxville, posting a 4.26 ERA in 46 relief outings. He struck out 114 batters compared to 36 walks. The southpaw is the first UT player selected by the Cubs since 2021, when they selected Liam Spence. The final Tennessee player picked on Sunday was Evan Blanco, a left-handed pitcher taken 381st overall by the Athletics. Blanco was a Vol for one season after transferring in from Virginia. In 89 innings with Tennessee (16 starts), the Massachusetts native went 7-4 with a 4.65 ERA, 101 strikeouts, and 29 walks. He was the first UT product to be taken by the A's since Andy Cox in 2015. Five members of the high school recruiting class were also selected in the draft on top of the six players already on campus. Two-way player Jared Grindlinger went 12th overall to the Angels, outfielder Trevor Condon went 13th overall to the Cardinals, right-handed pitcher Kaiden McCarthy went 48th overall to the Atlanta Braves, right-handed pitcher Tyler Putnam was taken in the fifth round by the Colorado Rockies, and first baseman Cody Boshell went in the 11th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Left-handed pitching portal commit Jake McCoy went in the 18th round to the Toronto Blue Jays, but it is not evident yet whether or not he will sign to play professionally or come to campus. SEC Media Days "Talkin' season," as the Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier called it, is just a week away. SEC Media Days will be held next week in Tampa, Florida, from Monday through Thursday. Ahead of the festivities, Tennessee announced the three players joining head coach Josh Heupel in Florida on Monday. Running back DeSean Bishop and linebackers Jeremiah Telander and Arion Carter will join Heupel. Bishop, a Knoxville native, ran for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore last season and is going to be the Vols' lead back again this fall. Telander and Carter were Tennessee's starting two inside linebackers last year. Telander, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, made 80 total tackles and six tackles for loss last year. Carter, a senior from Smyrna, Tennessee, made 76 tackles in just 10 games, as he battled an injury last year. The SEC has not yet announced what time Heupel will go on the main podium as part of the event on Monday.