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Tennessee Baseball’s Thursday availability report ahead of Vanderbilt series

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•05/08/25•

_Cainer

Tennessee Baseball | Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Baseball | Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee Baseball listed just one player on the initial availability report Thursday night ahead of the weekend Southeastern Conference series with Vanderbilt in Knoxville.

First baseman Alberto Osuna was listed as OUT, just as has been all season long due to the ongoing battle his eligibility. Outside of the slugger, the Vols are in pretty good shape.

Right-handed pitcher AJ Russell was not listed on the availability report as sources indicated to Volquest earlier on Thursday that the junior should be ‘good to go’ this weekend. The starter dealt with a blister towards the end of his start on Sunday against Auburn, when he gave up three-consecutive singles before being removed from the ballgame in favor of Nate Snead. All three of those runs ended up coming into score.

Tennessee left Sunday’s Game 3 starter as ‘TBA’ on the weekend projected starting pitchers sent into the league on Thursday. So, it is unclear if Russell will start the series-finale, just as he has done each of the past two weekends. If Russell does not start the game, freshman right-handed hurler Tegan Kuhns seems like the logical choice. Snead also has starting experience.

Regardless, Russell is available to pitch this weekend for the Vols.

Right-handed reliever Tanner Wiggins will not be available this weekend as he continues to recover from being struck in the face by a foul ball in the Kentucky series. Wiggins is not listed on the active roster for the weekend, thus does not need to be included on the availability report.  

Freshman reliever Brayden Krenzel (illness) made his return to action last week after missing the previous two SEC weekends (Kentucky, LSU).

With six games remaining in the SEC regular season, it’s go-time for No. 15 Tennessee (37-11, 14-10 SEC) as the Vols play host to in-state foe No. 11 Vanderbilt (34-15, 14-10 SEC) this weekend for the final Southeastern Conference home series of the regular season.

Both teams enter the weekend of play tied for fifth in the SEC standings with 14-10 marks in conference play. UT ends the season on the road at No. 7 Arkansas next weekend while the Commodores host Kentucky. The SEC Tournament kicks off from Hoover the following week from May 20-25. It’s a new format this season featuring 16 teams of single elimination as both Tennessee and Vanderbilt eye the double-BYE and a start on Thursday.

The Commodores are fresh off a weekend series-win at home over Alabama after dropping a weekend set in Oxford two weeks ago. Vanderbilt is 8-7 in true road games in 2025 but are just 2-8 against the Volunteers in the past 10 meetings with one of those wins coming in Hoover last season. Tennessee took two of three in Nashville last season and swept the Commodores at home in 2023.

Vanderbilt dropped a midweek decision to Louisville, 5-4 on Tuesday night.

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