KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The honors continue to roll in for Tennessee’s Trent Grindlinger, who was tabbed the National Co-Freshman of the Week by Perfect Game on Tuesday morning after playing a major part in the Vols’ series win over SEC rival Alabama.
Serving as UT’s designated hitter, Grindlinger led or tied for the team lead for the week in batting average (.533), hits (eight), home runs (three), RBIs (six), slugging percentage (1.200) and on-base percentage (.632).
Seven of his eight hits came in the Vols’ series win over the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide, as he batted .583 with three-multi-hit games and five RBIs to help lead the Big Orange to a doubleheader sweep on Friday after dropping the series opener on Thursday night.
The California native was especially productive in Friday’s doubleheader sweep, totaling five hits, three runs, a double, two homers and five RBIs for the Big Orange.
Grindlinger joins sophomore pitcher Tegan Kuhns as Vols who have garnered national weekly honors this season, as Kuhns was named the Golden Spikes Award x D1Baseball Player of the Week on Monday after his dominant outing against Alabama in game one of last Friday’s doubleheader.
Kuhns Named to Baseball America Team of the Week
In addition to his previously mentioned recognition, Kuhns was also named to Baseball America’s Team of the Week on Tuesday morning. The sophomore right-hander tossed an eight-inning, complete-game shutout against the Tide, allowing just three hits while racking up nine strikeouts.
It marked the first complete-game of Kuhns’ career and the first by a Tennessee pitcher since Marcus Phillips tossed a seven-inning, complete-game shutout against Florida in March of 2025. Kuhns retired Alabama’s lineup in order five times over his eight innings of work.
