A freak injury just made Tennessee’s SEC Tournament opener even tougher
The Vols lost one of their most important pieces for Tuesday’s opener against South Carolina
Tennessee’s SEC Baseball Tournament path begins on Tuesday, as the 10 seed Vols take on the 15 seed South Carolina Gamecocks in the first round.
And on Monday, it appears their chances took a literal and figurative blow. According to Go Vols 247’s Ben McKee, senior outfielder Reese Chapman was struck in the face by a line drive at practice and will miss Tuesday’s game against the Gamecocks. His status for the remainder of the tournament is still to be determined.
Tennessee senior OF Reese Chapman to miss South Carolina game after being struck by a line drive at practice
First, and obviously most importantly, you hope that Chapman is ok and that the injury is nothing severe.
Chapman is the Vols’ lone four-year senior on the roster, and as such, this is his final SEC Tournament in orange and white after three years representing the Vols in Hoover.
Baseball wise, Chapman has been a crucial part of Tennessee’s lineup this season. He’s fourth on the team in batting average .(316), fifth in home runs (10) and OPS (.999), and first in doubles (19), walks (31), stolen bases (7), and runs scored (51).
As such, Tennessee will need to find a way to get past the Gamecocks — who Tennessee didn’t face in the regular season — to keep the possibility alive for Chapman to get one more chance at experiencing another run in Hoover with the Big Orange.