Newest Tennessee Vols transfer portal acquisition gives Tony Vitello an important strength in a crucial area

Rhudy's first season with Kennesaw State was a solid one in 2024. He compiled 35.2 innings across 19 appearances with a 2.78 ERA and an opposing batting average of .190 to go with 32 strikeouts and 14 walks.  That was good enough to earn him first-team all-conference honors for the Atlantic Sun.

The ERA and opposing average rose slightly in 2025, but it was a more impressive season due to a major step forward in a key area - control.  In 37 innings, he had a 3.16 ERA and .212 opposing average, but his strikeouts rose to 44 and his walks shrank to 5 for a ridiculous 9 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. 

The 6'4", 225-pound Rhudy came to Kennesaw State out of Gordon Lee High School in Chickamauga, GA and has two years of eligibility remaining. He joins a pair of other pitchers coming to Knoxville next year for Vitello.  UNC-Asheville grad transfer Clay Edmondson and MIT junior Mason Estrada are slated to also pitch for the Vols in 2026. 

However, if Rhudy can repeat the level of control he showed in 2025 when he gets to work at Tennessee, it seems very likely he'll find a regular role for himself in the bullpen in 2026, just as his former teammate Franklin did in 2025.