Tennessee Vols get some good news and bad news for their 2026 roster on Thursday
The MLB Draft is now in our rearview mirror, and that means decisions are starting to be made by players on the Tennessee Vols' roster for where they will be playing ball during the 2026 season. Three of those players' destinations became clear on Thursday, with one of them returning to Knoxville – OF Reese […]
The MLB Draft is now in our rearview mirror, and that means decisions are starting to be made by players on the Tennessee Vols' roster for where they will be playing ball during the 2026 season.
Three of those players' destinations became clear on Thursday, with one of them returning to Knoxville – OF Reese Chapman, per GoVols 247's Ben McKee.
Chapman was a solid producer in the lineup for the Vols in 2024. He had a .273 average with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. That last stat is an important one for the Vols, as his 53 runs batted in represent the highest returning total from Tennessee's 2025 roster. Only Andrew Fischer and Hunter Ensley drove in more runs, and neither is returning next season. Chapman had a rough showing the NCAA Tournament, going 2-19 with a home run, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.
The Vols' other corner outfielder, Dalton Bargo, is heading to NC State, per Knox News Sentinel's Mike Wilson.
Bargo was a big part of Tennessee's offense in SEC play, hitting .312 with 7 home runs and 22 RBIs during the Vols' conference slate. However, like Chapman, the bat disappeared over postseason play. Bargo went 1-23 in the tournament with 2 runs scored. He had a .272 average with 14 home runs, and 40 RBIs for the Vols last season. Now, he's off to play for another team that was in Omaha during the Vols' run to the championship in 2024 in the Wolfpack.
Finally, a third player who committed to Tennessee through the portal won't end up making it to Knoxville after all in former Bowling Green pitcher/outfielder DJ Newman.
Newman was a 15th round pick for the Astros, and Newman decided this week to go ahead and get his professional career started rather than trying to earn a higher draft slot in 2026 with the tutelage of Vitello and his staff, which is a bit of surprise given the success Tennessee players have had in the Major League Baseball draft over the last two years. It's a tough loss, given his abilities on the mound and at the plate. In an injury-shortened 2025 season (25 games), Newman batted .419 while posting a 3.77 ERA in 14.1 innings on the mound.
