SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

May 29, 2021

Camden Sewell

Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

Tennessee Volunteers

Postgame Press Conference

Tennessee - 4, Florida - 0

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. We have Camden Sewell here.

Q. Cam, at what point today did you realize that you felt pretty good and that you could be out there for a while? Kind of what were your thoughts going into the game?

CAMDEN SEWELL: I felt pretty good warming up, so I thought I always had a chance. Pretty much after the first inning, I was like, okay, it's time to go. It felt really good being out there. Guys made good plays behind me, and it was fun.

Q. How well especially with that two-seamer, the movement on that. I know you're a guy who always gets a pretty good run on that pitch anyway, but it looked like there was a little bit of extra gear to it today.

CAMDEN SEWELL: Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Don't really control that, honestly. Biggest thing was don't walk anybody and try to get ahead in the count and give guys a chance to make plays behind me.

Q. Your longest outing going into today was 3.2 innings. How comfortable did you feel in those later innings? Overall, what did you feel like you had working for you today?

CAMDEN SEWELL: Like I said earlier, I feel like the biggest thing was just get ahead in the count. The guys behind me played great, and they also put up some runs. As a pitcher, not much more you can ask for besides just go out there, attack hitters, and whatever happens happens.

Q. And what was your comfort level like in those later innings? I know you hadn't thrown that long this season.

CAMDEN SEWELL: To be honest, I got a little gassed and a little tired. I was just trying to give everything I could to go as far deep in the game as possible.

Q. You obviously haven't been used as a traditional starter all year. Did you have a conversation with Tony or Frank about how deep you thought you could go in this game, or was it just a play-it-by-ear type of thing?

CAMDEN SEWELL: He told me not too long ago I ruined his pitching plan for the day. I don't know how to take that, but hopefully it was a good thing.

Q. Camden, with you having pitched earlier in the week, was there anything different in your routine leading up to the game?

CAMDEN SEWELL: It's a little different, starting and relieving. I had a little time to get my body ready and get my mind right for the start. It was fun. It was.

Q. You all obviously lose the first game of the tournament. You win three in a row, playing in the tournament title game, had to kind of take the detour, the scenic route. Why do you think this team was able to overcome adversity and be able to win three games in a row, facing elimination?

CAMDEN SEWELL: I think we're very resilient. As a team, we love competing. We play for our brothers, the guys next to us, and it's always a fun time being around these guys.

Q. Camden, second straight shutout, and you've only allowed five runs in four games. Is this tournament a testament to how deep this pitching staff really is?

CAMDEN SEWELL: I think it's starting to show. We've got guys that love to compete and throw strikes and trust the guys behind us. As a pitcher, that's all you can ask for.

Q. You only allowed two earned runs, I think in the last 21 innings you pitched. Over the past two weeks, has it felt like anything's changed, or is there anything in particular you can credit that success to?

CAMDEN SEWELL: I think it just comes down to being myself. Earlier in the year, I was trying to do too much and be something I'm not. The key to being a pitcher is just be yourself, and not everyone's the same.

Q. I just wanted to ask Camden about Sean Hunley. Last Saturday he had that bases loaded jam (inaudible) against South Carolina, and you all kind of got in a jam today here in the ninth. Today he didn't seem to flinch. Why do you think he's able to not flinch in those moments?

CAMDEN SEWELL: Sean's a special dude. He stays composed. As a pitcher, he's probably the best on the team of being composed when things go bad and not letting it affect the outing. You saw that today. He's a winner.

Q. Cam, when you, I guess in short, how much does it mean for you all to play for an SEC Tournament championship? I know the first thing you can do is maybe win the SEC East and then you can try to win the SEC Tournament and then go on to get to Omaha and all that stuff. Where does this rank for you? How nice is it to be playing for this game, and what does it mean for you all?

CAMDEN SEWELL: It's very special, to be honest, but there's still work to be done. Hopefully, you can ask the same question tomorrow with a different result.

Q. You all have only given up five runs in 33 innings. How much have you fed off each other as pitchers, just like hitters where hitting is contagious?

CAMDEN SEWELL: I think that just evolves with throwing strikes and trusting the guys behind you. When you do that, the guys behind us are pretty good, and it's a good thing to have these guys behind you playing defense.