Tennessee baseball announces starting pitcher vs South Carolina in SEC Tournament

Cam Appenzeller will start for Tennessee baseball against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament, coach Josh Elander announced Monday.

“He’s a guy we’re excited about when we get down there,” Elander said. “I know he likes the big moment.”

The Vols (37-19) will face the Gamecocks (22-34) on Tuesday (5:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Hoover Met. The teams did not play in the regular season.

Appenzeller has made one start in his 17 appearances this season. He is 5-1 with a 4.84 ERA as a freshman. He started against West Georgia on April 28, throwing the first inning with a pair of strikeouts.

The 6-foot-5 left-handed pitcher threw a season-long six innings at Vanderbilt on March 28. He threw five innings in his next two appearances against LSU and Mississippi State, but has not thrown more than 3.1 innings since. He has thrown no more than 2.2 innings in his past three appearances.

Appenzeller initially committed to South Carolina out of Glenwood High School in Chatham, Illinois. He flipped to Tennessee in the 2025 class, choosing the Vols over Mississippi State.

If the Vols beat South Carolina, they will face No. 7 seed Arkansas (36-19) in the second round Wednesday.

“It was good to see him do his deal (vs. Oklahoma), but a ton of confidence in him always,” Elander continued. “And I know he’s excited to get the ball tomorrow.”

How Tennessee baseball got the No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament against South Carolina

Tennessee finished the season well, winning three of its final four series. It won both of its final two.

The Vols won series against Missouri, Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. They lost series to Georgia, Vanderbilt, LSU, Ole Miss and Kentucky.

Tennessee earned its lone sweep of SEC play when it beat then-No. 9 Mississippi State in Starkville in all three games in early April. It notched another huge series win by beating then-No. 4 Texas in the first two games of its penultimate SEC series in May.

Tennessee baseball recent history in the SEC Tournament

Tennessee has reached at least the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in four of the past five seasons. it won the tournament title in 2022 and 2024, sweeping both the regular-season title and the tournament title both times.

UT’s SEC Tournament title in 2022 was its first since 1995. It rebounded from an opening-round loss in 2024 to win the title against LSU.

The Vols made a run to the semifinals in 2025 as the No. 8 seed. They upset No. 1 seed Texas in the quarterfinals.

Tennessee also played for the tournament title in 2021, but lost 7-2 to Arkansas in the championship. UT was bounced in its opener against Texas A&M in 2023.