Tennessee catcher Stone Lawless is set up to start behind the plate for the Volunteers in 2026.
In 2025, Lawless took 59 at-bats for Tennessee and had a .288 batting average. He also tallied four doubles, five home runs, and 20 RBIs.
Lawless spoke with the media and dove into what his preparation has been heading into the 2026 college baseball season.
“I have just been stacking on top of good days and learning from my weaknesses last year,” Lawless stated. “I also have just trusted the people around me, like Coach [Parker] Serrano and Coach [Josh] Elander.”
Lawless Talks Tennessee’s Starting Rotation
Elander revealed the starting rotation for Tennessee to begin the season on Monday, February 9.
The Volunteers are going with Tegan Kuhns on Friday, Rutgers transfer Landon Mack on Saturday, and Virginia transfer Evan Blanco on Sunday.
Tennessee baseball's starting rotation to open the season
Friday: Tegan Kuhns
Saturday: Landon Mack
Sunday: Evan Blanco https://t.co/Ee45ahQ8W8— Mike Wilson (@ByMikeWilson) February 9, 2026
In 2025, Kuhns had a 5.40 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings of work. Heading into 2026, he is a top 50 MLB Draft prospect (ranked 43rd) according to MLB Pipeline.
Lawless talked about how Kuhns has grown from his freshman year to his sophomore year.
“He has become more mature,” Lawless said. “I’m super excited about what he is going to bring to the table. He has been competing with more confidence as he has become older.”
Mack transfers into Tennessee after a great freshman season at Rutgers. He had a 4.03 ERA in 80 1/3 innings of work. He also threw 70 strikeouts compared to just 17 walks.
Lawless talked about what Mack can provide to Tennessee’s starting rotation this season.
“Landon [Mack] has some electric stuff,” Lawless said. “He has four great pitches. His balls were teleporting to the glove when I was taking at-bats against him in practice.”
Blanco transferred to Knoxville after three seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers. He has a 4.17 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 162 career innings of college baseball.
Blanco was also a part of a Virginia team that went to the College World Series in 2024. He was third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference that season.
“He is a veteran,” Lawless said, referring to Blanco. “You know what you are going to get from him each day. He is fun to be a catcher for. We had several shutouts together in the fall.”
Navigating a Major Coaching Change
One of the biggest stories in college baseball during 2025 was former head coach Tony Vitello leaving Tennessee to manage the San Francisco Giants.
In his place, Elander, the former associate head coach, is now stepping into Vitello’s place.
Lawless talked about what he learned about his team as they went through that experience.
“We showed great composure,” Lawless said. “No one really batted an eye once the change happened. We are going to stay tight as a group and adapt to any situation. That way, we can be ready to compete.”
Lawless also talked about the team’s mindset heading into the season under a first-year head coach in Elander.
“I do not think anything changes,” the catcher said. “If we play for each other, that will be a big factor in our success.”
Lawless mentioned the 2024 national championship Tennessee team as an example of a group that “played for each other.”
Up Next for Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers begin the 2026 college baseball season on February 13 against the Nicholls Colonels.
The game is at Tennessee’s home ballpark, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and the first pitch is at 4:30 p.m. EST.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Vol Photos/Tennessee Athletics
