Brandon Arvidson, who was made available for Tennessee baseball in its series against Kent State, made his season-debut on Saturday. The southpaw came on to pitch in the top of the seventh inning with the score 2-1 in favor of the Golden Flashes, taking the place of starter Landon Mack.
No runners on base at the time of his appearance and there were two outs on the scoreboard.
The junior left-handed pitcher missed Tennessee’s first five games while working back from a pair of minor preseason setbacks. Volquest reported the pitcher’s available status for the weekend on Thursday.
Vols coach Josh Elander indicated Tuesday that Arvidson would return “sooner rather than later.” He threw to live hitters Monday, his latest step in his return after battling some arm soreness and a minor toe injury in January.
Arvidson was 2-0 with a 4.19 ERA in 30 games with two starts in 2025 with 70 strikeouts in 38⅔ innings. His 30 appearances tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history.
The 6-foot-5 lefty opted to return to Tennessee during the 2025 MLB Draft. He and the Vols discussed starting as part of his decision to return, but the Vols know he can contribute to the pitching staff in any role.
Arvidson struck out nine in 5⅓ innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits and a walk in Tennessee’s SEC Tournament win against Texas on May 22. He had 12 strikeouts in 5⅓ innings against Wake Forest on June 1 in the Knoxville Regional.