Former Tennessee Vols baseball standout is getting a one day experience as part of Team USA ahead of the World Baseball Classic

A former Tennessee Vols baseball standout is suiting up for Team USA for one day.

Zach Ragan Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

A former Tennessee Vols baseball standout that hasn’t even made his big league debut yet will get a chance to be part of Team USA for one day this week.

With the World Baseball Classic set to start later this week, Team USA is playing the San Francisco Giants in an exhibition game on Tuesday.

According to NBC Sports’ Alex Pavlovic, the Giants are “loaning” Team USA a few extra players on Tuesday to serve as extra runners/arms.

One of the players that’s being loaned to Team USA is former Vols infielder Gavin Kilen.

Kilen, a first round selection by the Giants in the 2025 MLB Draft, spent one season at Tennessee after starting his college career at Louisville.

The Giants and Team USA are scheduled to play at 3:00 PM ET on Tuesday, so we’ll see if Kilen gets any action. Either way, it should be a great experience for Kilen. And who knows, maybe Kilen, a Wisconsin native, will represent Team USA at the next World Baseball Classic in 2029.