Tennessee reliever AJ Causey earned Co-SEC Pitcher of the Week honors for his dominant relief outing in the Vols’ 6-2 season opening win against Texas Tech. Causey split the honor with Auburn pitcher Carson Myers.
Causey entered in relief of RHP AJ Russell in the fifth inning of Friday night’s game. The submarine pitcher gave up a double that allowed both inherited runs to score but after that he was dominant. Causey didn’t allow an earned run in 4.2 innings of action while striking out seven batters.
The Jacksonville State transfer retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced and was crucial in the Vols cruising past the Red Raiders.
“That pitch was middle-middle according to Peebs (Cannon Peebles), our catcher,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said of the RBI double. “So, the rest of it, honestly, was just him being himself. And I don’t know if he’s ever been thrown into that type of situation in this environment, and in that situation where the fire was burning hot coming out of the bullpen, I thought he handled it incredibly well. You make a mistake against a good team and a good hitter, they’ll make you pay.”
More From RTI: Takeaways From Tennessee Baseball’s Season Opening Weekend In Texas
Causey worked in long relief in his first Tennessee outing but the right-hander is firmly in the competition to be the Vols’ third weekend starter.
He was a weekend starter for Jacksonville State last season before entering the transfer portal. Causey was effective in the fall and preseason and showed he can pitch multiple time innings effectively against a quality opponent. Vitello stated that Causey is a legit weekend option following the Friday night game.
“Causey deserves to start on the weekend, but he’s a great teammate and willing to take the ball in any situation,” Vitello said.
The Tennessee newcomer split the award with Auburn’s Carson Myers. The Auburn starter struck out eight batters in the Tigers win over Eastern Kentucky.
Tennessee returns to the field for its home opener on Tuesday afternoon where they’ll face UNC-Asheville at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is at 4:30 p.m. ET.
