Tennessee names starter for SEC Tournament opener against South Carolina
Tennessee pitcher Cam Appenzeller (19) throws the ball during a NCAA baseball game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on April 18, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Tennessee Vols get their 2026 SEC Tournament underway quickly, as they’ll participate in the event’s opening round for the first time in a while. Tennessee drew the 10 seed and will face 15 seed South Carolina in their opening game on Tuesday at 5:30 pm ET in Hoover, Alabama.
With Landon Mack still a bit beat up, the question comes to who will get the start for Tennessee against the Gamecocks. And according to Josh Elander on Monday morning, LHP Cam Appenzeller will get the nod to toe the mound. Appenzeller has been a bit of an enigma for Tennessee.
The talented freshman started the season on an absolute heater, and showed it early in SEC play. He threw six shutout innings vs. Vanderbilt and five against LSU.
He allowed two earned over five innings against Mississippi State. But in recent weeks, it’s been a struggle for the freshman. Since his outing against Miss State back on April 10, his ERA has ballooned from 1.
49 all the way up to 4. 84 after the Oklahoma series. He gave up four or more runs against Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, and Texas.