Tennessee baseball is undergoing a major overhaul of its pitching staff this offseason. Twenty Vol pitchers entered the portal last month. With a number of other pitchers projected to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Vols project to have just four returning pitchers from the 2025 squad to the 2026 squad.
Tony Vitello and his staff have been extremely active in the transfer portal too, landing eight pitchers after Virginia’s Evan Blanco committed to the Vols Wednesday night.
Here’s two trends of note with where Tennessee’s pitching staff stands after a month of significant turnover.
More From RTI: Recapping Tennessee Baseball’s Incoming, Outgoing Transfers As Portal Officially Closes
Tennessee Adding Pitchers With Low Walk Rates
The most common denominator of Tennessee’s staffs under pitching coach Frank Anderson has been an ability to throw strikes. While many teams have struggled to consistently find the strike zone, the Vols have lived there under Anderson’s guidance, making other teams earn everything they get at the plate.
That’s what made the 2025 Tennessee pitching staff so unusual. A talented staff, the Vols struggled with walks last season. Thanks in large part to Liam Doyle, Tennessee’s staff had major strikeout stuff. Its 30.1% strikeout rate was the second highest of Vitello’s tenure behind only 2023.
But while the 2023 team boasted a modest 7.6% walk rate, Tennessee’s 2025 staff posted a 9.5% walk rate. It was the highest walk rate of Vitello and Anderson’s time in Knoxville, even eclipsing their 2018 pitching staff that was the worst in the last eight years by a long shot.
Tennessee Team Walk + Strikeout Rate From Tony Vitello Era
*The 2020 season was cancelled after just 17 games due to COVID-19
| Season | Walk rate, Strikeout rate |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 9.5% BB, 30.1% K |
| 2024 | 7.8% BB, 26% K |
| 2023 | 7.6% BB, 30.6% K |
| 2022 | 6.8% BB, 28.9% K |
| 2021 | 6.5% BB, 23.7% K |
| 2020* | 5.7% BB, 27.9% K |
| 2019 | 7.9% BB, 23.4% K |
| 2018 | 9% BB, 16.7% K |
Tennessee has clearly looked to address the issue in the portal this summer. Of the Vols’ seven portal on the mound, five had a walk rate in 2025 lower than Tennessee’s staff average. Two-way Blaine Brown had by far the highest walk rate but the left-handed pitcher with electric stuff pitcher just 4.2 innings at Rice last season.
Bowling Green two-way DJ Newman posted a strong 6.6% walk rate in an injury shorted 2025 season but his walk rate was even lower in 2024.
Combined, Tennessee’s walk rate from its incoming transfers was 7.2% last season. That mark would be the fourth best of the Vitello era with the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season being one of just three better. The 25.2% strikeout rate, which would rank sixth in the Vitello era, is down but still solid.
2025 Walk + Strikeout Rates For Tennessee Baseball’s Pitching Additions In The Portal
| Pitcher | Walk rate, strikeout rate |
|---|---|
| RHP Landon Mack | 5% BB. 20.6% K |
| RHP Clay Edmondson | 7.5% BB, 25% K |
| RHP DJ Newman | 6.6% BB, 26.2% K |
| RHP Brady Frederick | 6.2% BB, 24.9% K |
| RHP Bo Rhudy | 3.5% BB, 30.6% K |
| RHP Mason Estrada | 13% BB, 37.3% K |
| LHP Blaine Brown | 33.1% BB, 15.8% K |
| LHP Evan Blanco | 5% BB, 19.9% K |
| Total | 7.2% BB, 25.2% K |
Those are just the numbers from the eight incoming transfers. The four returning pitchers and incoming freshman will also have major roles in Tennessee’s pitching staff next season. But the portal additions make it clear that Tennessee is looking to limit its walks compared to a season ago.
Tennessee’s Staff Is Heavy On Right-Handed Pitchers
Maybe there’s a trend you picked up on from looking at Tennessee’s incoming pitchers. The Vols have added only two left-handed pitchers and one is a two-way player who threw only 4.1 innings last season.
The four pitchers returning from the Vols’ roster? All right-handed pitches. Tennessee is extremely heavy on right-handed arms and light on left-handed pitchers at the moment.
Clay Edmondson and Brady Frederick are both submarine pitchers who give batters different looks from the rest of Tennessee’s staff despite both being right-handed. Kennesaw State transfer Bo Rhudy also had really strong numbers against left-handed hitters last season. Rhudy was one of three pitchers nationally to post a strikeout rate north of 30% and a walk rate south of 4% during the 2025 season.
Even with those two factors in mind, the lack of southpaws is notable and at least a minor question mark on the roster.
The top two pitchers in Tennessee’s 2025 signing class, Kruz Schoolcraft and Cameron Appenzeller, are also both left-handed. Finding a way to get either to campus instead of signing professionally would be major win. Tennessee also signed a pair of high school left-handed pitchers in Chandler Day and William Haas. However, Haas had Tommy John surgery this week and will likely miss all of his freshman season.
