Tennessee pitcher Tegan Kuhns signs with Cardinals as No. 32 pick in MLB Draft

Tegan Kuhns has signed with the St Louis Cardinals in a deal worth $3,044,600 as the No. 32 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday. It is the full slot value of the No. 32 pick. The right-handed pitcher is the first first-round pick of the Josh Elander era at Tennessee. Tennessee baseball had four first-round picks in 2025 and nine first-round picks in the past four drafts under former head coach Tony Vitello, who had Elander on staff as his top assistant. Kuhns was Tennessee’s ace in 2026 as a draft-eligible sophomore. He had 5-5 record and 3.56 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) that spanned 81 innings pitched. He struck out 106 and walked 16 with an opposing batting average of .254. Kuhns was named second team All-SEC in 2026. He was the No. 45 player in the 2024 class according to Perfect Game and rated as the No. 11 right-handed pitcher in the country. He was named the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania, where he attended Gettysburg Area High School. Kuhns appeared in 15 games and made 10 starts as a freshman. He was 2-4 on the season with a 5.40 ERA in 36.2 innings pitched, with 40 strikeouts and 16 walks. Tennessee players who were picked in MLB Draft Two Tennessee baseball signees were picked ahead of Kuhns in the MLB Draft. Jared Grindlinger was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the No. 12 overall pick and Trevor Condon was drafted No. 13 overall by the Cardinals. Right-handed pitcher Tyler Putnam, another Tennessee signee, was picked in the fifth round by the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Third baseman Henry Ford was picked in the sixth round by the Seattle Mariners and right-handed pitcher Bo Rhudy was picked in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Catcher Garrett Wright went in the eighth round to the Los Angeles Angels and first baseman Cody Boshell, another Tennessee signee, was an 11th-round pick for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Left-hander Brandon Arvidson was picked in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs and left-hander Evan Blanco was picked by the Athletics in the 13th round. Jake McCoy, a Tennessee signee out of the transfer portal, was picked in the 18th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Tennessee signees, commits who withdrew from MLB Draft Tennessee signees or portal commits who opted to play for the Vols over MLB opportunities include infielder and right-handed pitcher Michael Teasley, right-hander Shawn Sullivan, right-hander Gannon Grant, catcher Sean Dunlap, right-hander Gary Morse, outfielder AJ Curry, shortstop and right-hander Cole Koeninger, shortstop Jack Dugan, outfielder Andrew Duncan, infielder Travis Sanders, right-hander Parker Detmers and left-hander Ricky Ojeda. The Vols went 38-22 in coach Josh Elander‘s first season. They went 15-15 in SEC play with notable series wins against top-10 opponents in Mississippi State and Texas. They were the only program in the nation to go unbeaten in midweek games with a 14-0 record. UT’s season ended in the Chapel Hill Regional after it reached the postseason for the seventh straight season.