Tennessee booted from SEC Tournament by Arkansas

Tennessee Volunteers' Evan Blanco (11) pitches as Arkansas Razorbacks take on Tennessee Volunteers during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Tennessee’s stay in Hoover turned out to be a short one, following an explosive first inning from Arkansas on Thursday evening.

The Razorbacks got to Tennessee starter Evan Blanco quickly, and didn’t let up. A couple of home runs had Arkansas off and running in the bottom of the first, as Blanco wasn’t missing a whole lot of bats out of the gates. In just a matter of minutes, Tennessee found themselves in a 4-0 hole — a familiar place over the last couple of weeks.

Zack Stewart would blast an absolute no-doubter in the bottom of the third to make it 5-0 before the Volunteers would finally show some life. Tennessee capitalized on a bloop that ended up being perfectly placed by Blaine Brown to plate two runs in the top of the fourth. Henry Ford would inch Tennessee closer with an RBI double in the fifth.

However, TJ Pompey put the nail in the coffin in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run shot to seal things up for Arkansas. Tennessee had nothing left in the tank, and the Razorbacks went on to win 8-4. “I think just the breaking stuff was not as sharp as usual tonight,” Josh Elander said of Blanco’s start.