Why Tennessee baseball's Cam Appenzeller reminds Josh Elander of Chase Burns
Freshman pitcher Cam Appenzeller guided Tennessee baseball to a 4-1 win over LSU and reminded coach Josh Elander of several Vols greats.
Josh Elander has never seen freshman pitcher Cam Appenzeller's heart rate spike. Before becoming the coach of Tennessee baseball , Elander helped recruit the 6-foot-5 prospect from Chatham, Illinois. Appenzeller's low-key attitude stuck with Elander, and it showed when he turned to the freshman first out of the bullpen against LSU on April 4.
Appenzeller (4-0) maintained Tennessee's lead and helped the Vols (20-11, 4-7 SEC) secure the 4-1 victory over LSU (21-11, 5-6) in the second game of the series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. He finished with six strikeouts and allowed just one hit through five innings. "On the recruiting trail, it was kind of funny because he was always so laid back when we would meet with him on the road," Elander said after the win.
"He would just kind of be chilling. It's his personality. The moment never gets too big.
" He didn't show it, but Appenzeller had a mountain of pressure on his shoulders when he came in to relieve starter Tegan Kuhns in the fifth inning. Tennessee had lost its past four consecutive SEC games, including the first game of the series, where it led 4-1 before the bullpen gave up a grand slam in the 7-5 loss. The freshman allowed a single and had runners on second and third base.