Tennessee baseball ace Blade Tidwell sidelined with shoulder soreness
Tony Vitello has spent the past month expecting Blade Tidwell would be sidelined when Tennessee baseball starts its season in mid-February.
It became official Thursday. Tennessee’s ace and a projected first-round MLB Draft pick in 2022 is out indefinitely with shoulder soreness.
“He has basically got soreness stemming from having stiffness in the shoulder,” Vitello said. “He got with the doctor (Thursday) and our trainer was involved. Really, it was a conversation between the kid and the doctor on what the best plan and next steps are to progress while he is throwing and getting his way back into pitching.”
Tennessee, which reached the College World Series in 2021, opens its season Feb. 18 against Georgia Southern at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Tidwell is the second of Tennessee’s projected pitchers to suffer an injury in January. Seth Halvorsen, who transferred from Missouri, suffered a right arm fracture in mid-January. Vitello expects Halvorsen to recover by midseason.
Tidwell’s situation is less defined. The preseason All-American has battled shoulder soreness for a few weeks, leading to multiple doctor's visits. Vitello said the injury will not require surgery. Tidwell and the UT medical staff are working on a rehab plan that would make him available later in the season.
“It has been something we kept an eye on,” Vitello said. “It has gotten better not worse, but it is not good enough right now. …
“When he is ready, we will use him.”
Tidwell was a freshman All-American in 2021 after going 10-3 with a 3.74 ERA. He struck out 90 in 98⅔ innings pitched. The Loretto, Tennessee, native did not throw early in Tennessee's fall session after logging a lot of innings as a freshman and playing with Team USA in July.
Halvorsen joined Tennessee after going 4-3 with a 6.00 ERA as Missouri’s Friday night starter. He came to Tennessee despite being picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Vitello said Halvorsen’s injury was a “slight fracture from gradual wear and tear over the years.” Halvorsen has three weeks remaining in his rehab before he starts throwing.
“He has already shown signs of progress,” Vitello said. “We have already mapped out about when he would come back. It will be about how quickly he makes progress.”
Tennessee expects the pitching staff to be the strength of the team. Freshman Chase Burns, who turned down being an early MLB Draft pick, senior Camden Sewell and transfer Chase Dollander lead the starting pitching options with Tidwell and Halvorsen sidelined.
"The competition gets a little muddier because you had two guys that have thrown in big situations," Vitello said. "At the start of the season, the upperclassmen get the tiebreaker if two guys are similar because of experience. That has been removed from the equation with those two guys being out.
"There are more opportunities and now it is even more competitive in a weird way.”
Sewell had a dominant start against Florida in the SEC Tournament. He was 4-1 with a 2.82 ERA as mostly a reliever. Dollander was 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA for Georgia Southern.
Mark McLaughlin also could be in the mix to start. McLaughin was 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA in a hybrid role.
Strength coach shift
Tennessee's strength and conditioning coach Quentin Eberhardt was hired as the Chicago Cubs' head strength and conditioning coach in December. Eberhardt was with UT for four seasons. He had MLB experience before joining Vitello's staff.
Vitello said Austin Smith will fill the role on an interim basis. Smith worked with Eberhardt. Smith could be a candidate to fill the role on a full-time basis, a decision Vitello plans to evaluate after the season.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball ace Blade Tidwell sidelined with shoulder soreness
