Tennessee’s Trent Grindlinger was named National Co-Freshman of the Week by Perfect Game on April 28 after his performance in the Volunteers’ baseball series against Alabama.
The recognition highlights Grindlinger’s contributions to Tennessee’s recent success. He played a key role as designated hitter, leading or tying for the team lead in several offensive categories during the week, including batting average (.533), hits (eight), home runs (three), runs batted in (six), slugging percentage (1.200), and on-base percentage (.632).
Seven of Grindlinger’s eight hits came during Tennessee’s series win over 13th-ranked Alabama, where he batted .583 with three multi-hit games and five RBIs. His efforts helped Tennessee secure a doubleheader sweep on Friday after losing the opener Thursday night. In Friday’s games, he recorded five hits, three runs, a double, two home runs, and five RBIs.
Grindlinger joins sophomore pitcher Tegan Kuhns as Volunteers who have received national weekly honors this season. Kuhns was recently named Golden Spikes Award x D1Baseball Player of the Week for his dominant outing against Alabama in game one of last Friday’s doubleheader. Additionally, Kuhns was selected to Baseball America’s Team of the Week after pitching an eight-inning complete-game shutout against Alabama with nine strikeouts and only three hits allowed.
Kuhns’ performance marked his first career complete game and was Tennessee’s first since Marcus Phillips threw a seven-inning shutout against Florida in March 2025.
The recent honors for both Grindlinger and Kuhns reflect strong individual performances that have contributed to Tennessee’s ongoing success this season.
