Tennessee Tabs Evan Blanco for Regional Opener vs East Carolina
Image: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
CHAPEL HILL – It will not be Tennessee ace Tegan Kuhns on the mound Friday afternoon as the Vols open NCAA Tournament play in the Chapel Hill Regional. Senior left-hander Evan Blanco will get the start against East Carolina, Tennessee head coach Josh Elander announced during his media availability.
Tennessee enters the postseason at 38-20 overall and finished SEC play at 15-15, earning the No. 2 seed in a regional that also features No. 5 overall seed NorthCarolina and No. 4 seed VCU. The No. 3 seed Pirates of EastCarolina arrive in Chapel Hill with a 36-22-1 record and a 17-10 mark in the American Conference. ECU secured its NCAA Tournament berth with a 1-0 win over UTSA in the American Conference Tournament this past Sunday.
Redshirt junior left-hander Ryan Towers will start for East Carolina. The Loyola Marymount transfer has been strong since moving into the Friday starting role, holding a 7-3 record with a 3.04 ERA while striking out 42 batters across 53.1 innings this season.
Blanco, a Virginia transfer, enters the regional with a 7-4 record and a 4.94 ERA. The Woburn (Mass.) native has struck out 97 batters in 82 innings during his lone season on Rocky Top. With a team high 29 walks, Blanco will need to attack the strike zone early to hopefully keep Tennessee out of the loser’s bracket.
First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner will advance to face the victor of Friday evening’s matchup between North Carolina and VCU, which is set for 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
