The Tennessee Vols will have back one of their starting corner outfielders for the 2026 season. The other is one the move to another team from the 2024 College World Series field.
Reese Chapman will be back with the Vols in 2026, according to Ben McKee of GoVols 247. Conversely, Dalton Bargo is transferring to NC State, per Knox News Sentinel’s Mike Wilson.
Reese Chapman tells @GoVols247 that he is returning to Tennessee for a fourth season.
The outfielder started 64 games this past season as a junior. He slashed .273/.344/.523 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.https://t.co/Oz6ftUcTq2
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) July 24, 2025
Dalton Bargo is transferring to NC State.
The Tennessee outfielder went undrafted in the 2025 MLB Draft, which led to him returning to college and landing with the Wolfpack. He Bargo hit .272 with 14 homers and 40 RBIs last season. https://t.co/M6c7ypBu1B
— Mike Wilson (@ByMikeWilson) July 24, 2025
Both players had very similar stat lines at the plate during the 2025 season. Chapman hit .272 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. Bargo went a very similar .272 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs.
While the season numbers were solid, the struggles at the plate were real in the postseason, particularly for Bargo. He went 1-23 in the NCAA Tournament, with two runs scored. It was a stark turnaround from SEC play, where he was a strong factor in the Vols’ lineup, going .312 with 7 home runs and 22 RBIs in league games. Now, he’s off to Raleigh to play for the Wolfpack, who were another team in the field in Omaha during Tennessee’s championship run last year.
Chapman started 64 games in 2025 for Tony Vitello, and contribute he did, as he had the third-highest RBI total on the roster. As the two players with more runs driven in were Andrew Fischer and Hunter Ensley, Chapman is the player who returns with the most production in that category, which is obviously a boon for the 2026 lineup. Chapman, like Bargo, ended his season on a sour note, going 2-19 in the NCAA Tournament with a home run, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.
Neither player heard his name called in the MLB Draft earlier this month, making their return to college basically a given. Now, Tennessee will have a steady left-handed bat back to help anchor what should be another strong lineup in 2026 for the Big Orange.