Tennessee
Bevy Of Tennessee Pitchers Enter Portal As Massive Turnover Continues | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee baseball’s major turnover on the mound continued Monday as seven more Vol pitchers officially entered the portal. Michael Sharman, Andrew DuMont, Dane Bjorn, Tanner Wiggins, Brayden May, Luke Payne and Stratton Scott were the latest to enter the portal Monday.
The Vols have now lost an incredibly 16 pitchers to the transfer portal this offseason after a 2025 season where Tennessee’s bullpen struggled and ahead of the upcoming roster limits with the House Settlement.
Of the 30 pitchers listed on Tennessee’s official 2025 roster, 16 have entered the transfer portal this offseason. Six of the 14 pitchers who have not entered the portal project as MLB Draft picks next month.
So who is still back? At least for now, Tegan Kuhns, Brayden Krenzel, Ryan Combs, Anson Seibert, Nic Abraham, Ben Martin, Aidan Hayse and Tate Strickland. It would be surprising if any of Kuhns, Krenzel or Seibert enter the portal but it remains to be seen about the others
Kuhns and Krenzel were key arms for Tennessee last season, combining to pitch 47.2 innings in SEC play. Seibert was the highest rated pitcher in the Vols’ 2024 signing class but missed the entirety of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer.
More From RTI: Where Tennessee Baseball Lands In Final Rankings Of 2025 Season
While the numbers are vast, most the departing players to the portal are not massive losses. Dylan Loy threw 20.1 innings in SEC play for Tennessee last season. The other 15 pitchers combined to pitch 7.1 innings in conference play. RHP Austin Breedlove and LHP Andrew Behnke were the only other pitchers to throw more than an inning in SEC play.
That doesn’t mean none of the other departures couldn’t have developed into serviceable bullpen arms but none had proved to be reliable SEC pitcher. Of the 16 departures, six never pitched in a game at Tennessee.
Tennessee has landed five pitcher in the transfer portal including Bowling Green two-way DJ Newman, UNC Asheville’s Clay Edmondson, ETSU’s Brady Frederick, Kennesaw State’s RHP Bo Rhudy and MIT’s RHP Mason Estrada.
The Vols also boast a commitment from top junior college pitcher Matt Barr and have a talented incoming pitching class.
The complete list of portal pitching departures is Michael Sharman, Andrew DuMont, Dane Bjorn, Tanner Wiggins, Brayden May, Luke Payne, Stratton Scott, Andrew Behnke, Austin Breedlove, Beau Revord, Dylan Loy, Bryson Thacker, Austin Hunley, Brayden Sharp, Thomas Crabtree and Ryler Smart.
GREENBRIER, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Middle Tennessee man is facing a 64-count indictment involving child sex crime charges, according to the Greenbrier Police Department.
GPD reports that James Mackenzie Gay was indicted by a Robertson County grand jury following an investigation by the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
Investigators arrested Gay on Wednesday and he’s now being held at the Robertson County Jail.
Gay has been indicted on the following charges, according to GPD:
- 20 counts of aggravated sexual battery involving a child under 13
- 36 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, possession
- 5 counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, production
- 1 count of solicitation of a minor for rape of a child
- 1 count of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means
- 1 count of criminal attempted sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means
GPD expressed its gratitude to the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Robertson County Child Advocacy Center for their assistance in this case.
No other information has been released at this time.
Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new monument at the State Capitol honoring unborn children.
The Roe v. Wade decision allowed states to set their own abortion laws and triggered Tennessee’s Human Life Protection Act, which bans nearly all elective abortions in the state. The law has saved about 10,000 lives each year since taking effect, according to Tennessee Right to Life.
The Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children is located on the southeast side of the Capitol grounds. Lawmakers say it recognizes unborn children whose lives ended through abortion and serves as a place for reflection and remembrance.
The monument was approved by the General Assembly in 2018 and was paid for entirely through private donations.
Republican leaders said the monument reflects Tennessee’s commitment to protecting unborn children and honoring the value of human life.
See Dolly Parton celebrate Tennessean Travel Stop grand opening
The country music legend opened the first location of her Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee.
CORNERSVILLE, Tenn. — Out on the street, the traffic started jumpin’ as travelers made their way to Dolly Parton’s Tennessean Travel Stop on opening day.
“Dolly is on her way,” Tennessean Travel Stop owner Gregory Sachs told the media gathered at the new truck destination in Cornersville, saying Parton would cut the ribbon at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24.
The anticipation had been building all morning at the new roadside destination along Interstate 65. The 80-year-old country legend arrived wearing a blue-and-pink fringe ensemble, complete with her signature stiletto heels.
The “9 to 5” singer used the moment to make a playful quip about travel stop competitor Buc-ee’s.
“I’m sure some of you want to know why I wanted a truck stop,” Parton said. “Well, I couldn’t leave it to beavers.”
Parton ended the brief ceremony with a ribbon cutting, marked by an explosion of multicolored confetti featuring her signature butterfly.
The message drew cheers from guests who had spent the afternoon exploring the property, sampling food from DLY BBQ and trying a “Cup of Ambition” coffee, waiting to see whether Parton would make an appearance. Earlier promotional materials for the grand opening had stated that the country music icon would not attend the public festivities.
The appearance marks one of only a handful of public events for Parton in 2026.
In March, the East Tennessee star returned to Dollywood to launch the theme park’s 41st season after stepping back from several appearances while recovering from health issues and grieving the death of her husband, Carl Dean. During that appearance, Parton told fans she had been rebuilding herself “spiritually, emotionally and physically.”
Parton, who has been open about dealing with kidney stones, said in May that she is working with doctors after “my immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack over the past three years.”
What is Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop?
Located at Exit 22 off Interstate 65 in Cornersville, Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop officially opened to the public on June 24. The flagship location is a partnership between Parton, her longtime manager Danny Nozell and Gregory H. Sachs, owner of the Tennessean Travel Stop brand.
Inspired by Parton’s decades spent traveling the country by tour bus and her East Tennessee roots, the destination combines fuel services, food, shopping, live music and Tennessee-themed hospitality.
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
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