Tennessee

Tennessee Baseball vs. South Carolina Score, Updates SEC Tournament | Rocky Top Insider

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1 hour ago

May 19, 2026

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Tennessee Baseball vs. South Carolina Score, Updates SEC Tournament | Rocky Top Insider

SCORE: Tennessee 0, South Carolina 0 | PREGAME

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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 5:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Vanderbilt-Kentucky 12-13 game is running long. The Tennessee game will start afterward. Official start time TBD.

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)

Injury/Availability Notes

VolQuest’s Eric Cain reported freshman INF Evan Hankins is OUT for the season with a knee injury he suffered in warm-ups ahead of game two at Vanderbilt.
RHP Landon Mack is day-to-day in the SEC Tournament and is in Hoover with the team. TBD if he will pitch or not. In all likelihood, he wouldn’t pitch until the weekend anyway.
Reese Chapman is OUT for Tennessee’s game against South Carolina after taking a line drive to the face in practice Monday. His availability for the remainder of the week is TBD.

TRANSCRIPT: Everything Tennessee HC Josh Elander Said Previewing The SEC Tournament

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:

CF Garrett Wright (R)

1B Blake Grimmer (L)

3B Henry Ford (R)

DH Trent Grindlinger (R)

C Levi Clark (R)

LF Blaine Brown (L)

SS Manny Marin (R)

RF Nate Eisfelder (R)

2B Jay Abernathy (L)

Lineup Notes:

NO Reese Chapman as he manages an injury after taking a line drive to the face in practice Monday.
Clark behind the plate to open the SEC Tournament. NO Stone Lawless.
Jay Abernathy gets the second base nod with Grimmer sliding over to first.
Nate Eisfelder gets the opportunity in right field with Chapman out. He’s been solid in limited appearances.

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: TBD

*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.

1st Inning:

Score: Vols 0, Gamecocks 0

2nd Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

3rd Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

4th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

5th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

6th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

7th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

8th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

9th Inning:

Score: Vols , Gamecocks

FINAL: Tennessee Vols __, South Carolina Gamecocks __

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Tennessee

Tick bites rising in 2026: Symptoms, diseases to watch in Tennessee

Published

13 hours ago

May 19, 2026

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Tick bites rising in 2026: Symptoms, diseases to watch in Tennessee

Tennessee has entered peak tick season and according to experts, this year could be one of the worst on record.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tick Bite Data Tracker, which uses real‑time emergency room surveillance, shows weekly tick‑bite ER visits are higher than historic averages in every U.S. region except the South Central states, with the Northeast recording the highest levels so far in 2026.

During the fourth week of April, about 114 out of every 100,000 emergency department visits nationwide were for tick bites, the highest rate for this point in the year since at least 2017, the CDC said.

Emergency room visits for tick bites in the Southeast, including Tennessee, have risen in the month of April over the past five years, per CDC data. The rate increased from 29 visits per 100,000 people in 2021 to 50 this year, an overall jump of about 72%.

Here’s everything to know about the diseases ticks carry and what symptoms to look out for.

What diseases do ticks carry?

According to the CDC, some ticks can carry pathogens that can lead to human disease, including:

Alpha-gal syndrome
Anaplasmosis
Babesiosis
Bourbon virus
Colorado tick fever
Ehrlichiosis
Hard tick relapsing fever
Heartland virus
Lyme disease
Powassan virus
Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Soft tick relapsing fever
STARI
Tularemia
364D rickettsiosis

What are the symptoms of tickborne diseases?

The CDC recommends consulting a healthcare provider if you are bitten by a tick and develop the following symptoms within a few weeks:

Fever/chills. All tickborne diseases can cause fever.
Aches and pains. Tickborne diseases can cause headache, fatigue and muscle aches. People with Lyme disease might also have joint pain.
Rash. Lyme disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis and tularemia can cause distinctive rashes.

What is tick paralysis?

Tick paralysis is believed to be caused by a toxin in the saliva of an attached tick.

People with tick paralysis can experience weakness or paralysis that gradually moves up the body. These symptoms can sometimes resemble other neurologic conditions (for example, Guillain-Barré syndrome or botulism).

Patients typically regain movement within 24 hours of removing the tick, wrote the CDC.

How do ticks spread disease?

Ticks spread disease while feeding on a host’s blood.

After finding a spot, they latch onto the skin, cut into it, and insert a feeding tube that helps them stay attached. According to the CDC, some ticks release a substance to hold themselves in place and saliva with mild anesthetic effects, which makes the bite hard to feel.

Feeding can last from minutes to several days, depending on the species. During this time, ticks can both pick up pathogens from an infected host and transmit them through their saliva, added the CDC.

Once finished, they drop off and can pass any acquired diseases to a new host during their next feeding.

What types of ticks are common in Tennessee?

There are several common tick species in Tennessee. Here are the ones you’re most likely to encounter around your yard, according to All-American Pest Control Inc., a Middle Tennessee based pest control company:

Lone star ticks: Common across the state, these ticks are the least likely of the three to bite humans. They are named for the distinctive white spot found on the backs of adult females.
American dog ticks (wood ticks): Larger in size, these ticks have reddish‑brown bodies with white or yellow markings. Dogs and humans are their primary hosts.
Black‑legged ticks (deer ticks): The smallest of the common Tennessee ticks, black‑legged ticks are most often linked to disease transmission, though all three species can spread various illnesses.

Where are ticks most commonly found in Tennessee?

Ticks are outdoor pests.

While they can be carried indoors on people or pets, they cannot survive inside for long due to the lower humidity levels in houses.

Outdoors, ticks can appear in many areas, but they favor dense vegetation and moist environments. They’re most likely to be found in the following places:

Tall grass
Overgrown lawns
Wooded areas
Tree lines
Leaf litter
Brush piles
Yard edges
Fence lines
Parks
Trails

Contributing: USA TODAY

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com.

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Tennessee

18 officer-involved shooting cases statewide so far in 2026, per TBI

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2026

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18 officer-involved shooting cases statewide so far in 2026, per TBI

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it has been asked to investigate 18 officer-involved shootings statewide so far in 2026, including a shooting Sunday in Hickman County.

According to the TBI, the investigations involve multiple agencies across Tennessee, including police departments, sheriff’s offices, and federal law enforcement.

The most recent case listed by the agency involved the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office on May 17.

Other investigations this year have involved agencies in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Smyrna, Bristol, Memphis, and other communities.

In comparison, the TBI reported investigating 54 officer-involved shootings during 2025.

Officer-involved shootings can include incidents where officers fired their weapons during encounters with civilians.

View the full list of officer-involved shootings by year here.

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Nine boating fatalities reported in Tennessee, exceeding pace set at this point last year

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

Press Room

Nine boating fatalities reported in Tennessee, exceeding pace set at this point last year

The state of Tennessee says nine people have died in boating-related fatalities so far this year.

State data shows that number is higher than it was at this point last year.

Connell ran his boat about 70 miles up river from Guntersville, Ala. to fish in the shadow of Tennessee’s Nickjack Dam. Probably due to the foul weather, there were few, if any, local anglers there on the prime fishing spots. (MLF Video Screen Grab)

Richard Simms with Scenic City Fishing Charters says anytime hearing about any boat-related tragedy is difficult because boating is supposed to be a relaxing activity, not a deadly one.

A great day of fun that turns to tragedy, and that strikes an emotional chord for people that you hate to see at any time, Simms says.

Simms adds that many of these incidents may be linked to speeding, collisions with other boats, or simply operators and passengers not paying close attention on the water.

Most collisions are just the result of somebody not paying attention, they’re distracted, maybe sending a text, or maybe talking to their buddy, you know, or watching something else, Simms tells us.

Two years ago Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency engineers performed temporary repairs on the ramp. Hamilton County Park officials said they had a plan in place to perform permanent repairs but that never happened until funding came via the Bill Dance Signature Lake project. (Contributed Photo)

We asked Brian Lee with TowBoat U.S. whether anything seems different on the water this year.

Lee says lake levels are lower than normal for this time of year, and with warmer-than-usual weather, more people are getting out on the water earlier in the season.