Tennessee Baseball Contributor Enters the NCAA Transfer Portal.

This Tennessee Volunteers baseball player announces his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander coaching from third base during an NCAA college baseball game against the Missouri Tigers on Mar. 22, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have begun losing players to the transfer portal, as they lost their first player during the day on Monday, and during the afternoon, they lost their second player to the transfer portal, but this time, they lost someone who is more valuable to their program. This time, they are losing a former starter and a rotational player when he is most needed, whether that is at the plate, on the field, or on the base path.

Chris Newstrom Enters the Transfer Portal

Tennessee’s Chris Newstrom during the Tennessee baseball’s Orange & White scrimmage at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on November 9, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The player that they are now losing to the transfer portal is Chris Newstrom. Newstrom started the year as a starter, but he later would become more of a role player for the Vols, as he was replaced in the outfield. If he returned to the Tennessee program, he would likely be a starter for the Vols, as he is one of the returning pieces in the outfield for the Vols, who could be losing a minimum of two players in the outfield when it comes to usual starters.

This season, Newstrom batted .173, which was very below average, and was the reason why he wasn't playing as much. However, his glove is electric, as he is one of the better fielders that Tennessee has in the outfield, which kept him in the rotation when an outfielder was needed.

Now that he is off to the transfer portal, he will likely be picked up, but it will likely be a step down from the Vols, as not many teams will be willing to take on his batting average. Regardless, this is a bigger loss than it seems due to his glove, which the Vols will likely need to replace in the portal.

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