May 20, 2026 — #23 Tennessee dropped an 8-4 decision to #12 Arkansas in the SEC Tournament at Hoover Met, as the Razorbacks’ power hitting proved too much for the Vols’ pitching staff to contain.
Early Hole Too Deep to Climb
Arkansas jumped on starter Evan Blanco early, plating four runs in the first inning and adding another in the third to take a 5-0 lead. Blanco lasted just three innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs on 57 pitches before the bullpen took over. The Vols couldn’t recover despite scoring in four separate innings.
Tennessee Offense Shows Life Late
Tennessee scratched back with two runs in the fourth and one each in the fifth and seventh, but Arkansas answered with three more in the fifth to push the lead to 8-3. Levi Clark and Garrett Wright each went 2-for-5 to lead the offense, while Blaine Brown drove in two runs with a fifth-inning double.
Key Stats
| Category | Player | Stat |
|---|---|---|
| UT Top Batter | Garrett Wright | 2-5, 1 R |
| UT Top Batter | Levi Clark | 2-4, 1 R |
| UT Starting Pitcher | Evan Blanco | 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 K |
| ARK Top Batter | TJ Pompey | 3-4, 3 RBI, HR |
| ARK Starting Pitcher | Tate McGuire | 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K |
Razorbacks Power Display
Arkansas got three home runs on the day — Camden Kozeal, Zack Stewart (two), and TJ Pompey each went deep. Stewart’s two-homer performance accounted for three RBI, while Pompey added three more, doing the most damage in a five-run first and fifth-inning outburst that put the game out of reach.
Up Next
Tennessee falls to 38-20 on the season and will face an elimination scenario in the SEC Tournament. The Vols will need a strong bounce-back performance to extend their postseason run at Hoover Met.
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