HOUSTON – No. 1/3 Tennessee finished off another undefeated week with a 5-1 victory over No. 24/NR Arizona on Sunday afternoon at Daikin Park to win the 2025 Astros Foundation College Classic.
The Volunteers and Wildcats were the only two teams with 2-0 records for the tournament entering the day, making Sunday’s contest the de facto championship game.
The Big Orange (11-0) crushed three more home runs, giving them 10 for the tournament, and got another dominant showing from their pitching staff, which allowed just one run on six hits and struck out 12.
UT’s 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup in Dean Curley and Gavin Kilen both had multi-hit days, combining for five of the team’s 12 hits. Andrew Fischer, Levi Clark and Cannon Peebles combined to drive in four of the Vols’ five runs with homers while Kilen drove in the final run of the game with an RBI single in the ninth.
Arizona (7-4), who entered the game having won seven straight games, struck first with a run in the bottom of the second on a triple by Easton Breyfogle, but starter Tegan Kuhns was able to limit the damage with a flyout to center field to end the frame. The freshman finished with three strikeouts over two innings in his first career start.
Tennessee used four relievers to hold the Wildcats scoreless over the final seven innings. Brandon Arvidson earned his first win of the season after tossing 1.2 innings of shutout ball in relief of Kuhns before handing the ball off to Nate Snead, who contributed 3.2 scoreless innings of his own.
Dylan Loy and Ryan Combs did not allow a baserunner over the final 1.2 innings to close things out and cap an unbeaten weekend for the Vols.
UT took the lead in the top of the fourth with back-to-back homers from Fischer and Clark before adding some insurance with a two-run blast into the second deck by Peebles in the top of the seventh.
Up Next
Tennessee returns to Knoxville to begin a 10-game homestand on Tuesday with a midweek game against Radford. The Vols will also host Xavier in the midweek on Wednesday before wrapping up weekend non-conference play against St. Bonaventure Friday through Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
