AJ Russell reflects on his ‘tough’ journey through getting back on the mound this season

Wednesday was a rough day for Tennessee at the SEC Baseball Tournament. The Vols were blasted 13-4 by rival Vanderbilt and now face elimination on Thursday.

However, if there was a bright spot for Tennessee, it was the fact that star pitcher AJ Russell was able to return to the mound.

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Russell had been out since March, before throwing a shutout inning against Vanderbilt on Wednesday. He spoke after the game about his journey to getting back on the mound.

“I think the last few months have kind of been tough, just mentally and all of that and getting through it,” AJ Russell said. “But the support has been huge from everybody – friends, guys on the team, coaches, parents, all of that stuff. It’s been huge to me, and I think it’s a big reason why I’m back.”

Russell entered the 2024 season with huge expectations after finishing last year with a 0.89 ERA across 30 1/3 innings. Opponents hit only .095 against him in 2023, and he struck out 47 of the 105 batters he faced.

The righty is up to a 4.73 ERA this season, but injuries have contributed to his dip in production. The good news for Tennessee is that Russell appears to be feeling good heading down the stretch.

“It gets better each time I throw. Soreness wise, all of that. Each time I throw it gets stronger. I feel better each time. Feel good right now and ready to go for whenever’s next,” Russell said.

“I’m super happy with where I’m at right now and how I felt today. I feel great right now. … I’m happy with it. It went just about how I expected it to go.”

Still, even with AJ Russell feeling better, he isn’t expected to move back into a starting roll down the stretch.

The sophomore will continue to throw a limited number of innings and help however he can.

“The big thing I’m looking to accomplish is just help out,” Russell said. “We’ve talked a few times and I’m not coming in to throw 6, 7 innings. It’s more 1 inning, 2 innings, trying to get a few outs here and there and get it to the next guy.”

With the loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday, No. 1 seed Tennessee will face No. 2 seed Texas A&M on Thursday, needing a win to stay alive in the SEC Tournament. Don’t count Tennessee out, though, as the Vols still have a 46-11 record, despite Wednesday’s loss.

The post AJ Russell reflects on his ‘tough’ journey through getting back on the mound this season appeared first on On3.