Cam Appenzeller was un-hittable for Tennessee baseball in the first half of SEC play, stabilizing a shaky bullpen with standout long relief appearances nearly every weekend. But Appenzeller’s production has fallen off a cliff over the last three weeks.
Appenzeller didn’t allow an earned run in his first 20 innings pitched in SEC play. Through five appearances in five series, Appenzeller allowed just two earned runs in 23.1 innings pitched (0.77 ERA). The freshman totaled at least 2.2 innings pitched in all five outings while Tennessee posted a 3-2 record in the games he pitched.
But in three SEC appearances since, opponents have tagged Appenzeller for 14 earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched (19.90 ERA).
What has gone wrong for Appenzeller the last three weeks?
“I think it’s just the SEC is a monster, as you know,” Tennessee head coach Josh Elander said Tuesday. “You guys have all been here. You’ve seen — I’ve seen Drew Beam, Chase Dollander, lot of guys have those days where they just get crushed, and there’s no other word for it, but what Appy is doing is he’s throwing strikes.
“I think it was kind of just a little bit of an anomaly up there in Kentucky, throwing strikes. Those guys — I mean, the wind’s blowing out — getting to the heater a little bit, but he’s a guy that’s going to compete and give us a chance to win.”
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Elander has left Appenzeller in games to try and collect outs while Tennessee trailed in two of those outings which likely inflated the poor numbers.
A month ago, when the conversation was about Tennessee needing to start Appenzeller, Elander warned about the increased workload that Appenzeller is undergoing in his freshman season compared to his senior high school season. But despite recent struggles, Elander does not believe the Illinois native is wearing down.
“If you really look at the workload, how we’ve handled it, as far as we haven’t really run him anywhere close to 100 (or) 120 pitches,” Elander said. “We’ve made sure to be extra careful. I don’t think we’ve even run him twice in a weekend, in SEC play. … But physically, he’s in a great spot. It’s not like he’s wearing down and all of a sudden he’s throwing 86-87 (mph). The stuff is still good. He’s up to 92-93 up there in Lexington, and again, teams are going to make adjustments on how you’re having success, and then they have to do the same.”
Tennessee has been conservative with Appenzeller’s workload this season given his success for much of the season. He’s totaled 43.2 innings pitched in 15 appearances, has thrown 70-plus pitches in just two appearances and has yet to exceed 80 pitches in a game.
Appenzeller’s struggles could be as simple as a freshman wall. Maybe his command is struggling because his arm is not as fresh as it was a month ago. But with other bullpen arms still faltering, Tennessee needs Appenzeller to get right with SEC play approaching.
“Got a ton of confidence in him down the stretch, and we’re going to need him,” Elander said. “The guy wants to win. He’s a competitor, so I’m excited to be able to get him the ball again soon.”
