SCORE: Tennessee 11, South Carolina 6 | FINAL

***SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE AT-BAT BY AT-BAT FEED***

No. 23 Tennessee baseball (37-19, 15-15 SEC) is set to battle the South Carolina Gamecocks (22-34, 7-23 SEC) Tuesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The game serves as the third game in Hoover overall.

First pitch at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is at 6:35 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Tennessee enters the SEC Tournament playing its best baseball of the season. The Vols are coming off back-to-back series wins over (then) Top-5 Texas and Oklahoma on the road.

Read recaps of all three games in Oklahoma City this past weekend below.

GAME ONE RECAP: Tennessee Baseball Wins Back-And-Forth Series Opener At Oklahoma

GAME TWO RECAP: Tennessee Baseball Outlasts Oklahoma To Claim Weekend Series

GAME THREE RECAP: Tennessee Baseball’s Comeback Bid Falls Short in Game Three Loss to Oklahoma

Since the Mississippi State series opener, Tennessee’s offense has been good to great, with only four bad performances across the 18 contests.

While hosting a regional is a long shot, Tennessee could position itself to enter the conversation with an SEC Tournament Finals appearance. As the 10-seed in the tournament, the Vols would need to win four games to make it to Sunday.

BRACKETOLOGY: Where Tennessee Baseball Is Projected In Field of 64 Brackets Ahead Of SEC Tournament

While Tennessee is playing its best ball of the season, the injury bug has begun to hit the Vols over the last couple of weeks.

Starting pitcher Landon Mack has been dealing with arm soreness and missed the last two series. His status is ‘day-to-day’ in the SEC Tournament and he is on the travel roster, but it remains to be seen when or if Mack will return this season.

Monday, star senior outfielder Reese Chapman took a line drive off the face and is out Tuesday against South Carolina. His Hoover status is in question, and the Vols hope to at least have one of their best bats back for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

INJURY: Tennessee Baseball OF Reese Chapman Suffers Injury Ahead Of SEC Tournament

If Tennessee beats South Carolina, the Vols will advance to play 7-seed Arkansas Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET. If Tennessee makes it through Wednesday, UT advances to Friday to battle Texas at 4 p.m. ET.

Take a look at the full bracket for the 2026 SEC Tournament below.

HOOVER: Full SEC Baseball Tournament Bracket, Action Begins on Tuesday

Opponent Scout

South Carolina is the 15-seed in the tournament. The two sides haven’t played this season.

The Gamecocks just got swept by Vanderbilt. After firing head coach Paul Manieri a little before the halfway point of SEC play, South Carolina gained some momentum but that is not the case entering what will likely be its final game in 2026. The Gamecocks have lost 10 straight SEC games and been swept in each of the past three series.

SC owns a series sweep over Missouri and has been swept six times.

Info courtesy UT Athletics in italics

Prediction:

Tennessee beats one of the worst teams in the league and advances to Wednesday to battle Arkansas.

Offense continues to roll and Appenzeller isn’t amazing but builds off a positive relief outing last Thursday in Oklahoma.

POLLS:

• D1 Baseball: No. 23 (NR)
• USA Today Coaches Poll: No. 25 (NR)
• Baseball America: No. 20 (up four)
• Perfect Game: No. 25 (NR)
• NCBWA: No. 24 (NR)

For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far this season, click here.

For the latest RTI Diamond Pass podcast discussing the Oklahoma series win and previewing the SEC Tournament, click HERE.

WATCH: Josh Elander Previews Tennessee’s SEC Tournament Week

Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.

TENNESSEE STARTING NINE: 

SOUTH CAROLINA STARTING NINE: 

2B Patrick Evans

SS KJ Scobey

C Talmadge LeCroy

DH Jake Randolph

1B Will Craddock

LF Ethan Lizama

RF Luke Yuhasz

3B Dawson Harman

CF Tyler Bak

Pitching Matchup:

Vols Fr. LHP Cam Appenzeller (5-1, 4.84 ERA, 17 app., 1 start, 1 SV, 48.1 IP, 42 H, 26 R, 26 ER, 12 BB, 54 K, 13 XBH, .236 opp. batting avg., 1.12 WHIP)

vs.

Gamecocks Jr. RHP Brandon Stone (5-4, 4.64 ERA, 16 app., 9 starts, 66.0 IP, 77 H, 37 R, 34 ER, 19 BB, 55 K, 24 XBH, .294 opp. batting avg.)

Pitching Notes:

• Appenzeller’s second start of the season. He started a midweek in a 1.0-inning opener role previously.
  • Appenzeller is coming off a solid relief appearance in the Vols’ series-opening win at Oklahoma. 2 R in 2.2 IP on 42 pitches.
  • It was a bounce back from several poor outings in a row from the freshman at the pen. Starting with the Ole Miss outing, he hit a freshman wall that included four consecutive below average to awful outings.
  • Appenzeller will be used as a true starter Tuesday in all likelihood with Tennessee hoping he can give them a true, quality start.

Uniforms

Tennessee: Orange tops, white pants

South Carolina: Red jerseys, road gray pants

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*NOTES*

• The run-rule is MANDATORY in SEC play. If Tennessee or South Carolina leads by 10 or more runs at the end of the seventh inning or later, the game is over.

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GAME THREAD

1st Inning: 

T1

-Patrick Evans strikes out looking

-KJ Scobey strikes out swinging

-Talmadge LeCroy flies out to center

END HALF INNING

B1

-Garrett Wright singles up the middle

-Blake Grimmer singles to second, advances to second on throwing error, Wright to third

-Henry Ford hits sac-fly to left field, Wright scores

-Trent Grindlinger strikes out swinging

-Levi Clark singles up the middle, Grimmer scores

-Blaine Brown grounds out to short

END INNING

Score: Vols 2, Gamecocks 0

2nd Inning: 

T2

-Jake Randolph singles to third

-Will Craddock flies out to center

-Ethan Lizama grounds into 4-3 double play

END HALF INNING

B2

-Manny Marin grounds out to short

-Nate Eisfelder strikes out swinging

-Jay Abernathy singles to left

-Garrett Wright flies out to right

END INNING

Score: Vols 2, Gamecocks 0

3rd Inning: 

T3

-Luke Yuhasz singles to first

-Dawson Harman walks, Yuhasz to second

-Tyler Bak bunts out to catcher, Harman to second, Yuhasz to third

-Patrick Evans triples to right-center, Yuhasz scores, Harman scores

-KJ Scobey walks

-Talmadge LeCroy bunts out to pitcher, Evans scores, Scobey to second

-Jake Randolph grounds out to short

END HALF INNING

B3

-Blake Grimmer singles to right

-Henry Ford singles to left, Grimmer to second

-Trent Grindlinger singles to right, Grimmer scores, Ford to second

-Levi Clark strikes out looking

-Blaine Brown strikes out looking

-Manny Marin singles to right and advances to second on throw, Grindler advances to third, Ford scores

-Nate Eisfelder doubles to right-center, Grindler scores, Marin scores

-Jay Abernathy reaches on fielding error, Eisfelder to third

*Zach Russell in to pitch for Stone

Abernathy steals second

-Garrett Wright singles to right, Eisfelder scores, Abernathy scores

-Blake Grimmer grounds out to second

END INNING

Score: Vols 8, Gamecocks 3

4th Inning: 

T4

-Will Craddock grounds out to first

-Ethan Lizama doubles to right

-Luke Yuhasz flies out to left

-Dawson Harman strikes out swinging

END HALF INNING

B4

-Henry Ford doubles to left

-Trent Grindlinger grounds out to second, Ford to third

-Levi Clark reaches on fielder’s choice to short and advances to second on error, Ford scores on muffled throw by catcher

-Blaine Brown grounds out to pitcher

-Manny Marin grounds out to third

END INNING

Score: Vols 9, Gamecocks 3

5th Inning: 

T5

-Tyler Bak grounds out to third

-Patrick Evans singles to center

-KJ Scobey strikes out swinging

-Talmadge LeCroy singles to left, Evans to second

-Jake Randolph walks, Evans to third, LeCroy to second

-Will Craddock strikes out looking

END HALF INNING

B5

-Nate Eisfelder pops out to short

-Jay Abernathy flies out to left

-Garrett Wright singles up the middle

Wright steals second

-Blake Grimmer strikes out swinging

END INNING

Score: Vols 9, Gamecocks 3

6th Inning: 

T6

*Brayden Krenzel in to pitch for Appenzeller

-Ethan Lizama grounds out to second

-Luke Yuhasz strikes out swinging

-Dawson Harman singles to third

-Tyler Bak flies out to center

END HALF INNING

B6

*Alex Philpott in to pitch for Russell

-Henry Ford strikes out swinging

-Trent Grindlinger pops out to second

-Levi Clark singles to right

-Blaine Brown strikes out swinging

END INNING

Score: Vols 9, Gamecocks 3

7th Inning: 

T7

-Patrick Evans homers to left

-KJ Scobey flies out to right

-Talmadge LeCroy strikes out swinging

-Jake Randolph singles to short

-Will Craddock homers to left, Randolph scores

*Will Haas in to pitch for Krenzel

-Ethan Lizama reaches on throwing error by third base, advances to second

-Luke Huhasz strikes out looking

END HALF INNING

B7

-Manny Marin flies out to left

-Nate Eisfelder strikes out looking

-Jay Abernathy grounds out to second

END INNING

Score: Vols 9, Gamecocks 6

8th Inning: 

T8

-Dawson Harman strikes out swinging

-Tyler Bak singles up the middle

-Patrick Evans strikes out looking

-KJ Scobey strikes out swinging

END HALF INNING

B8

-Garrett Wright homers to right

• 102.6 mph, 386 ft

-Blake Grimmer strikes out swinging

-Henry Ford homers to left

• 102.6 mph, 385 ft

*Parker Marlatt in to pitch for Philpott

-Trent Grindlinger grounds out to short

-Levi Clark strikes out looking

END INNING

Score: Vols 11, Gamecocks 6

9th Inning: 

T9

-Talmadge LeCroy hit by pitch

-Jake Randolph strikes out swinging

*Logan Sutter pinch hits for Will Craddock

-Logan Sutter strikes out swinging

-Ethan Lizama grounds out to first

END INNING

Score: Vols 11, Gamecocks 6

FINAL: Tennessee Vols 11, South Carolina Gamecocks 6