Tennessee baseball’s starting rotation to begin the 2026 season is officially set. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Tegan Kuhns will start Friday night, Rutgers transfer right-handed pitcher Landon Mack will start on Saturday and Virginia transfer left-handed pitcher Evan Blanco will start on Sunday.
Mack was perhaps the biggest win for Tennessee in the transfer portal over the offseason, coming to Knoxville after a standout freshman year at Rutgers. Ahead of the 2026 season opener, first-year head coach Josh Elander offered a very complimentary comparison for Mack.
“When I think of him there’s some Chase Dollander in there,” Elander said. “Just even some similarities in the delivery, but the compete factor is about as good as it gets. … But again, a guy that’s thrown on Friday nights. I think he gives you stability in the middle of the rotation. And I know our guys are going to have complete confidence to play defense behind him, just by the way he attacks the strike zone and the pace of the game.”
Mack began the 2025 season as Rutgers’ Saturday starter before moving into the Friday night role by the end of the season. He earned All-Freshman Big 10 honors as a freshman before choosing Tennessee over LSU out of the transfer portal.
Over the course of the season, Mack posted a 6-5 record, 4.03 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 80.1 innings pitched. He totaled 70 strikeouts for a 20% strikeout rate while posting a fantastic 4.9% walk rate.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball To ‘Take It Slow’ With Brandon Arvidson To Begin 2026 Season
“And the stuff is, it’s just gross to be honest,” Elander said. “It’s really good stuff. It’s a real heater. Two breaking balls, a change that he’s made some adjustments with. Kick change or this, or whatever it may be.”
Mack throws a mid-90s fastball but his strength is largely his ability to throw multiple pitches. He also throws a mid-90s sinker, a cutter, curveball and a changeup. His strikeout rate was not crazy high last season but his strength is his ability to induce soft contact.
His path to Tennessee is somewhat similar to Dollander. The former Tennessee star was Georgia Southern’s Saturday starter as a true freshman before choosing the Vols over Arkansas and others in the portal following the season.
As a sophomore at Tennessee in 2022, Dollander spent most of the season as the Saturday starter and earned SEC Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 2.39 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. Dollander moved into the Friday night spot as a junior and had less success on a team that made the College World Series.
The Colorado Rockies selected Dollander with the ninth pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut last season, making 21 starts for the Rockies.
Mack and Tennessee are both hoping for the Rutgers transfer to recreate the success that Dollander had in his first season in Knoxville.
