Landon Mack

With baseball season in full swing, Sarah Detwiler sits down with Tennessee baseball’s Landon Mack on this week’s Everything Orange podcast. In his first year on Rocky Top, the sophomore pitcher has already started nine games and has notched a team-high 64 strikeouts. The two look at Mack’s go-to hype song, favorite athletes, and the stadium he one day dreams of pitching in. 

From there, they look at Tennessee’s 24-12 start and life in SEC play, reflecting on the adversity the team has faced and the resilience they’ve built. From tough losses to a statement sweep over a top-10 team on the road, he breaks down what’s clicking, the confidence this group is gaining, and the mindset heading into the second half of the season.

Detwiler and Mack also dive into the pitching staff, highlighting a competitive group that always pushes each other. He discusses working alongside Cam Appenzeller, navigating role changes with roommate Tegan Kuhns, and learning from veteran Evan Blanco. Mack also shares his own approach on the mound and the trust he’s built with both his teammates and coaches.

Beyond baseball, the sophomore reflects on his journey from New Jersey to Tennessee, his decision to focus on pitching, and why Knoxville became his dream destination. He also opens up about living with Type 1 diabetes, the discipline it’s instilled in him, and the impact of representing others facing similar challenges. Loving his time on Rock Top, Mack closes with what it means to wear the Power T and compete in the SEC.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Yeah, and I think there's a lot of people that that hate us because they ain't us. But we feed off of that and and we love it. But it's just I don't know. I feel like it I don't know how it can't be everyone's dream to come play baseball for Tennessee. I I'm I'm extremely blessed that I'm here and I love every bit of it.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hey y'all, welcome back to the Everything Orange podcast. I hope everyone was able to enjoy some great Tennessee athletics this weekend, whether it was spring football, whether it was track and field, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, you name it. We had so much going on this past weekend. And particularly what an exciting weekend for baseball getting the sweep down in Starkville, Mississippi over the Bulldogs, the number nine team-ranked program in the country. And one of the guys on the roster, a youngin' in this pitching staff, was able to make a big impact in only his second Friday start of the season. He brings so much energy to the mount. He's got such a competitive spirit, and he just loves having fun playing the game with his guys. And he's here on the podcast today to talk about all things Tennessee baseball. So please welcome to the Everything Orange podcast, Landon Mac. Landon Mack, welcome to the Everything Orange Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Thank you very much. Happy to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

We're so happy to have you here. We haven't really talked to baseball in a hot second. So I'm really excited to dive into this season and get to know you a little bit more off the field as well. But to start, I have some questions to get to know you in about 60 seconds. So the first question I have is what is one place you'd love to visit?

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Japan.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Wow. I wasn't expecting that. Why Japan?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

I I think the culture is very cool. I think like how technologically advanced they are. I think it would be just a cool place to visit. That would be awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Yeah. Your favorite non-baseball athlete?

SPEAKER_00 1:51

I'm gonna go Grant Horvat. He's a YouTuber. Okay. He doesn't play professionally, but he's a golfer and he does like golf content on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Okay, really cool. Did you watch the Masters?

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Did you just see any of it while you're I've been yeah, we had it on the bus yesterday when we were when we were coming back home.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Uh go to hype song.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Ooh. Um, I'm gonna go Dreams and Nightmares by Mink Mill.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Are you like, is that your style of music? Do you prefer? Have you gotten used to like country music?

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I I have a very uh I would say wide variety of music. Yeah, I kind of like everything.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Okay, good. Are you watching a show right now, or is there one that you would really recommend?

SPEAKER_00 2:31

You know, I I'm not too much of a show watcher. I I could tell you, like in recent years, I was into Invincible. It was like a comic action kind of show. Um but but recently I haven't been into TV shows. Do you have anything like that I should watch?

SPEAKER_01 2:50

You know, um Black Rabbit on Netflix is really good. Um, I'm watching the Stephen King 112263 show.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Whoa. Yeah, complex name.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

It is. It's as if they go back in time and save JFK Jr. No, JFK from being assassinated. That actually sounds sick. Yeah, it's really good.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

I watched uh Love Story, which it was JFK Jr.'s I'm watching that right now. That's that's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Okay, did you finish it?

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Uh like I'm close. Okay, okay. Um that's a good cool connection. That sounds interesting.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Yes. Your favorite jersey number you've worn.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

Uh I've had two jersey numbers in my life. I had 27, I've had 18. I wear 18 now, it's my dad's number. Oh, nice. Uh, and then I wore 27 when I was much younger because Mike Trout wore it. I wanted to be like Mike Trout. Um, and also my sister's birthday. She was born September on the 27th, so that was kind of her lucky number. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

But very nice. One word your teammates would use to describe you.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

I don't even know. I don't uh I would go with I guess outgoing. I like I like to I like to hang out with everyone.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

So easy going, just there for the vibes.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

That's boring, it's basic, but I guess that's what it's like. That's a good one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Your favorite hobby or activity when you're not playing baseball?

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Cars and golf. Those are my two heavy hitters.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Okay. So when it comes to cars, what do you do to fix them up?

SPEAKER_00 4:28

I I just enjoy like seeing cars driving by. It sounds boring, but cars driving by where like it's been worked on because like I can respect like the amount of time and effort that it takes that like they put it's like an artwork kind of. Yeah. Um and uh yeah, I got a truck and I love doing stuff to my truck, and I kind of inherited that from my parents. My parents were both car people.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Um actually they both raced. My mom had a Pontiac Trans Am, my dad had a an old Camaro.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

And wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

So it was it's kind of like in our board. It's in the family. We love we love cars. That's really cool. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

And then golfing, you just enjoy doing that.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

Like, yeah, it's like it's a nice, nice hobby just to you know, kind of forget about everything and kind of be frustrated about how bad you are at it because it's really hard. But I no, it's a fun time. I love playing golf, especially with the guys. It's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

A good thing to do, like team bonding and stuff off the field, get away from baseball for a little bit. And with the weather, like so nice down here, like there's so many good places.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Back home in Jersey where I'm from, it's I think it's starting to get warm now, but I but like the weather there now is probably what it was like a month ago here.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Oh my gosh, yeah. I bet you're loving that. How important?

SPEAKER_00 5:41

No, this weather is awesome. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

And last question your dream stadium to pitch in.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

I I would go to Citizens Bank Park as a Philadelphia Philly. Okay. With the stadium packed out. I think like that's my hometown. Yeah. Um, so I think that would be awesome to be able to pitch there. That'd be so awesome.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Well, great. Okay, that was awesome. Getting to know you a little bit more off the field. I want to start now by just recapping where we're at in the season so far. So, overall, the team is 24 and 12 on the season, seven and eight in conference. But how would you describe how the experience has been for you and for the team so far on this ride?

SPEAKER_00 6:17

I've had the most fun I've had in my life playing baseball here. Um, our team culture, our fans, just being in the SEC, this level of competition. Um, I've had a blast doing it all. And uh especially sweeping Mississippi State. That feels pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Yeah, and I want to talk about that. I want to talk about that even more. Um, because we are coming off such an incredible weekend from this past weekend. But first, we went through some not so great to get on the other side as well. So I want to talk about that because I feel like that's such an important part of the story as well, like overcoming that, because we had some really tough battles and some series to start off conference with Georgia, the walk-offs with Vanderbilt and the extra innings with LSU. But how was this team just able to stay together and keep moving forward, knowing that uh if you didn't lose sight of what was ahead, like you could have great success like we saw this past weekend?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Yeah, the theme uh E-Learner's been telling us is everything's right in front of us, which it is, and it still is. Um, but you know, we've we've battled a decent amount of adversity with you know losing our head coach and and pitching coach and strength and conditioning coach. But uh, I think that just kind of shows the how much value there is in like we're no stranger to adversity, and you know, we went through some tough times, but that doesn't mean that you know we we fold um when it comes to that stuff. We have the the character on our team. Um we got guys that just want to compete, want to win, and you know it weekends like this will happen where you know we have a couple tough weekends, but we're gonna come back out on the other side.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Yeah, and you're building to what is to come. But you made a great point too about like the adversity that this team has faced wasn't you know fresh when the season started. Like you kind of have been going through it all year and you've been figuring it out and and the positive to take away from it all. So then you come into this weekend, this past weekend, down in Starkville, a really tough road environment to playing a number nine team in the country, and you don't just win the series, you go down there and sweep them. How were you guys able to stay at such an elite level of competition Friday through Sunday to get the job done?

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Yeah, I think guys just knowing what their own individual task is, uh knowing their role and fulfilling it. Um, I think this was definitely a weekend where we kind of played collectively uh, you know, to uh an amazing level. Um, was that the best we've played? No, we were better than that. I can tell you that for sure. And but the fact that, you know, everyone can kind of know their role and and knows what the task is at hand, go and and fulfill it. I think, you know, if we if we stay, you know, along those lines, we're gonna have a great rest of the season.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

How does that build the confidence of this group too? Because you're saying, you're sitting here saying, like, yeah, that was great, but I know we have even so much more to give. What does that do for the team morale to see all of that success fall into place as you move ahead through conference play?

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Yeah, I think two sides of it is like one there, living in the moment. Like it's really important to enjoy those things uh when they happen. Um and two, the reflection piece, like there's there's guys where hey, maybe we got a little sped up or or we didn't execute here. You get very nitpicky about things, but then to be able to nitpick and and then go and work on that throughout the next week, we got old miss coming up, and then you know, how can we then go and execute that against Ole Miss? Um, or Alabama or Texas, whatever the following weekends are. So um, yeah, kind of just being able to reflect and and nitpick because these guys are extremely skillful and talented, and uh it's it's kind of just seeing how how good can you get.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and this is the time of the year to do it as well.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Coach Elander, we saw that video of him celebrating with you guys after the win on Sunday, and you can tell how proud he is of this group and how badly he wants to see all of the right things fall into place. What does that do for the team morale of this group to see like the win start to fall in place? Because we know this group is so talented, just hasn't always gone the right direction depending on the day. But to see it all play out the way that it did, how does that boost morale going into the second half of the regular season?

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Yeah, he is uh he's a guy where where like in the mo moments like those, I would say one when he got picked as coach, and two him in the huddle right there. Those were like my top two experiences here just because of how fired up he is. And as a player, I I love that my coach cares and and wants us to win that much. Um, but is also gonna enjoy it with us like that. So uh I I love him. He's been great, and uh, I know the role that he the shoes that he's had to fill are big shoes, but yeah, he's done a great job. I love him. I know all the guys love him, so we're very happy to to kind of get the ball rolling the way it is.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

Baseball's obviously a long season, and we've seen other teams in the past recently for Tennessee baseball have a similar start. Were there any conversations around maybe the 2023 team and how like that team started off five and ten in the regular season, were able to turn things around at the right time and make it all the way to Omaha. Were there any leaders in the group or just reminders of like, hey, like this season really just began and there is still so much time for us to figure things out, get better in the different areas we need to, and have a great success at the end in the postseason as well.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Yeah, I think the theme of um, you know, living in the moment and and not looking ahead too far has definitely, you know, been common. Um and yes, people have uh, you know, compared us to the 23 team and what have you, but um I think we do a good job of kind of filtering out all the exterior uh noise and we're just kind of focused on one game at a time. We know we can make it to Omaha.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

But you get there by focusing at the next task at hand.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Right, by not getting, like you said, not getting too far ahead, just looking at the right here, right now, what do we need to do going into this weekend series or whatever it might be and getting the job done first before we can look all the way to the future. Yeah. Um, but how good does it feel to start to see these things click like they did this weekend back to back to back?

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Yeah, no, I think definitely the roles being filled, like kind of knowing like who should be put in and where. I I think we're playing as a team amazing right now, and I love to see the success of all my teammates and uh yeah, when we're winning games like that, I think uh I don't think anyone could be unhappy with what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Where do you think the best improvements have been most recently that have really you know changed the um the outcome that we've seen so far from the group?

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Yeah, with the past couple of weekends, the the the struggle has been, you know, we we'll get ahead, but uh finishing the work and and you know to completion. Okay. Um so to be able to have uh you know not be complacent uh and stay locked in for all nine innings, I think is really one of the bigger things being able to to finish those games out and uh and hold the lead that we get.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

We're halfway through the regular season so far, which is kind of crazy to think already. Five series in, five series still to go. But what stands out to you the most about where this team is at right now as we sit middle of April?

SPEAKER_00 13:50

I think uh from you know, like a pitching perspective, the way the guys are executing, I think that is something that's definitely stuck out. Um, but then I think one thing that everyone can see from this past weekend was how consistent the bats were. And uh it's a lot of fun when those guys are hitting the ball the way they were. Um, but that's it's crucial. It's a big part of the game. And uh I think on both sides of the ball, really, it's it's it's been great.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

You're heading into your third Friday start of the season coming into this weekend against Ole Miss. How does the momentum of last weekend carry into this weekend, not just for you guys, but also for the fans um at Lindsay Nelson Stadium to have the next home series be in our home stadium?

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Yeah, I think the just the overall confidence of like, hey, you know, we took down, you know, a big team uh and used that momentum kind of into the next weekend. I think that's that's very important. Um, but also just trusting the work that we've already put in uh and we do put in throughout the week. Um, everyone should feel prepared and and ready to go. And it's a good feeling when you show up at Lindsay Nelson.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

How excited were you just coming off this past weekend?

SPEAKER_00 15:01

It was great. It was awesome. We our our our bus ride, our plane ride, bus ride back here. Um just good vibes the whole time.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

Yeah, yeah. Which this team like deserved to have a moment like that. So I'm so happy that things went so great this past weekend for you all. Let's talk about the pitching staff too, because from the outside, it looks like it is one of the most selfless groups in the country. Because in theory, there could be five starters out of this group of guys. There is so much talent in the room. What makes this group play together and work off of each other so well?

SPEAKER_00 15:35

I think a part of it's the bonding off the field. Um, wanting to like, I I love every one of those guys and I want to see them succeed just as much as I want to succeed. So no one has like any, you know, kind of saltiness where they're like, oh, you know, that should be me or anything like that. There it's just everyone's playing for one another. Um, and and for the power tea and and for E. You know, it's it's it's a great thing to see.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

What's it like to have a pairing two with Cam coming in and relieving you? And like how cool is it to have like that moment to share with him and one another?

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Yeah, so I think it's kind of funny because I kind of had always felt like like when we came in uh in the summer, I almost felt like a mentor to him. And now I don't really know if I can say that anymore because he's doing so good. Uh but no, I I'm I'm super proud of him. He he's got you know many things that he's gonna achieve in his career. He's got a long career ahead, and I love having him right behind me. Yeah, it's great, it makes me feel good.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

And Tegan is your roommate, right? And you guys uh like are in a unique and like a great position there too, where you started as a Saturday starter, he started as the Friday starter, now you guys have flip-flopped, your roommates, you're really good friends off the field. Like, just what's that dynamic like between you guys and like also kind of going through this whole process together?

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Yeah, I mean, we work together every day. Uh, I had said this in an interview after one of our first games that uh uh you know, we constantly push each other. And when I was in the Saturday spot, I I was saying, you know, I'm gonna push him as hard as I can, try to take the Friday spot, and I hope that he's gonna push me as hard as I can, or as yeah, push me as as much as I can, and uh try to take my my spot. And I think that dynamic of uh wanting it one for each other because we spend so much time together. Yeah. Um, but then also just that dynamic of pushing each other uh really, you know, keeps us going. Um but yeah, no, whether it's eating or we sports, M will be the show, whatever it is, it's always a competition. So uh I love that guy. He's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

How much baseball talk is there really, though, at home? Or like is it like we're off the field, please don't bring up baseball. Let's just like have fun and do whatever.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

Sometimes there there are there are times throughout the day where like, hey, like, you know, this really felt good or that really felt bad. Like we can bounce ideas off of each other because we're in very similar uh positions, right? Um, but for the most part, we keep baseball at the baseball field and life back at home. We just kind of hang out.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Yeah, that's that's really nice. It's nice to have somebody like going through it with you at this point. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

Because we're in such similar positions, so it's like easy to relate.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Exactly. And it makes the whole transition, I'm sure, like coming down here, new team, new environment, just like feel less alone. Like you really have like your people around you supporting you and there for you. Um, and then you got a guy like Evan Blanco on Sundays, a veteran, Omaha experience. Like he has been there, done that over and time again.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

He's done it all.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

What have you learned working alongside him and being able to see like how he approaches the game and take away some pieces of that into your own?

SPEAKER_00 18:48

I think the one thing that stands out the most about Blanco is the work that he puts in off the field. Um, so that's what it's taking care of his body recovery throughout the week. Um, it's just the consistency uh of the work that he puts in um to make sure that like there's the analogy, you got 12 hours chopped down a forest, you spend 11 of them sharpening your blade. I think that's Blanco in a nutshell. He he prepares very well and it sets him up for success, and he deserves everything he's got.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

I've never heard that analogy before. Yeah, that's great though. You you spend 11 hours sharpening your blade, so it only takes you an hour to do the job. Is that like in theory what we're getting at? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Versus like just chopping away and all that.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

And it being difficult. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

That's really cool. That's great. Well, it's great that you have like a role model on the team and someone like who's been where you are now to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00 19:42

He's he's a he's an open book. He he's definitely been through it all. So good guy for for guys like myself and even the the younger guys to to go to and ask for advice.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

That's so awesome.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Um, now growing up watching the game, what did you know about Tennessee baseball and maybe the history and the culture around the pitching at this program? Did you know much about it, or when did you kind of start to know more about Tennessee?

SPEAKER_00 20:09

Yeah, I think uh in in the house, you know, we started to turn on college baseball more than the major leagues, uh right around the age of 10, I would say. Okay. Just because let's be real, in major leagues, they're much more perfect, and you know, stuff doesn't happen, but in college ball, it's kind of exhilarating because not everything's perfect. Yes. Um, but I mean to have people like Luke Coachaver, Gary Crochet, those big names, um, go through the program, it draws a lot of attention to it. And yeah, it was, I mean, Tennessee has always been a school that I've wanted to go to. So I'm super happy that I'm here now.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Well, and that's what I was gonna talk about like later, but you bring up a great point. It was like in a previous interview, you you talked about Tennessee being your dream school. Like, what was it from a young age that you saw about Tennessee baseball that you were like, oh my gosh, like I want to wear orange one day.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

To be honest with you, my sister is the one that brought attention to it. She loved the color. She was like, Tennessee is my favorite team because of the color. And so we always had it on. And I've just loved the culture, loved the the you know, electricity around Tennessee baseball. And I I don't know if really like I think everyone wants to go to Tennessee. I don't know who couldn't want to go there.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

The orange is probably the best.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

It's a great color.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Hands down, like all the other shades do not compare it to Tennessee orange. She got that right.

SPEAKER_00 21:35

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Um, earlier this season, Coach Elander compared you to one of the best pitchers in program history, Chase Dolander. What does it mean to be mentioned in that same conversation as a guy that's now playing in the majors and having a great career himself?

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Yeah, I think I can say all the right stuff. Like, I'm honored, but I I I really appreciate that he said it, but I also take it kind of as a challenge. Like, I want to try to. Fill those shoes. And I'm glad that he did because you know it keeps pushing me every day.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Yeah, you were like, okay, coach, challenge accepted.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

He also said you bring stability and that the defense has confidence playing behind you because you're because of your pace and how you attack hitters. What does that trust mean to you that your coach sees that in you to be able to go out there and get the job done?

SPEAKER_00 22:23

It means a lot. It gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and just play freely and do my thing. But also to have the connection with the infielders where, you know, we're all working together. Last year, actually, as a freshman, I was a two-way. So I got a little bit of, you know, some soft hands, some infield hands. Um but yeah, to be able to work with those guys is awesome. They make it really easy to do my job.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

From the outside, too, you play with a lot of energy. You're obviously super competitive, and like you have so much emotion on the mound. How would you describe yourself? Um, your pitching style.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Yeah, everything's authentic. I think in high school is kind of where it all started.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Um I think a lot of people would describe me as full of myself in high school. But uh no, I I like I said, everything's authentic. I I'm just having fun. Uh I love love doing it. I mean, I think Reese had had the catch against LSU in right field, and like I almost threw my glove over the net. And like, I I don't know. It's I I blacked out. I don't really remember throwing my glove, but it's just it's the role emotion of playing in front of our our fan base and you know, with our team and everything. It's just a great time.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Yeah, there's so much like electricity pulsing through Lindsay Nelson. You can't help but just get involved in it as well yourself. Um, so let's talk about your journey to Tennessee. We kind of touched on it for a second, but you were born and raised, right, in New Jersey, born and raised?

SPEAKER_00 23:51

Princeton, New Jersey is where I was born.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Jersey kid through and through. You started your career at Wreckers, and as a true freshman, you became a Friday starter, throwing 80 innings with 70 strikeouts and just seven walks. Take me back to freshman year and what kind of allowed you to play so free and with so much fun and have the success that you did year one.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Yeah, I think uh the the vibe uh last year was kind of just, you know, a group of a group of friends that are going out to play baseball. Um, you know, we didn't really know what the expectation was for us. So we kind of were like, hey, let's prove everyone wrong. Um and I I don't know, it's just kind of that not lack of care, but it's just like if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'm just gonna go and you know, give it my best. And I think that's kind of how we played. We had a pretty good year. Um, and and for me personally, yeah, that was just kind of the same theme. I was just like, here's my stuff and deal with it. Um, and I think that's kind of I've been able to translate that over here a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Yeah, it kind of seems like you were like, I mean, what do I have to lose? Like, I'm just gonna go out there and play and have fun. Yeah, exactly. And obviously, all the cards fell where they did because you entered the portal, and it seemed like everyone was just trying to get a chance to chomp the bit with you. What was it about Tennessee though, that you were like, sorry, everyone, I know where I'm gonna go. It's not there.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

I I think definitely the relationship with the coaches here. Um, when V was here, and actually the phone call that I was going to make to tell him I was committing here, um it he picks up the phone, and before I can even say anything, he goes, Please don't tell me you're asking me for my ESPN uh login to watch UFC. Because we have been talking about UFC a good bit. We had a lot of common interests, and it's just it speaks a lot to the kind of culture we have here where, you know, with the coaches that we have now, E and and and Ren and and everyone, um, you know, there's obviously a hierarchy. Uh I don't want to say that we're peers, but it it has that friend like feeling where I feel extremely comfortable around my coaches. They know, you know, when it, hey, it's it's time to to to work. Um, but yeah, just kind of the the resources that they are for us to be able to go and talk to them about anything. Uh, but yeah, that relationship that you know the players have with the coaches is special.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Yeah. And obviously, like it was so intentional and like it went it obviously went beyond the field because it made you still want to stay here after everything that happened in the fall as well. You were like, I'm I'm here and I'm going to be a volunteer. What did your family think when you made the decision to come to Tennessee?

SPEAKER_00 26:35

They were extremely happy, especially my sister.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

She's like, I told you so. Yeah, yeah. What about the community too at home? Who gets to see the the kid from you know our hometown who started at Rutgers go all the way to the big stage and now is playing in the SEC.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Yeah. So you know, some uh some of my high school friends or even teammates that I had last year have been like, dude, I can't believe it. Like, you're in the SEC, look what you're doing. And I'm like, yeah, man, but like it's still me. Like, you know, like I'm still your boy. Um, I'm not, I haven't, I'm not anyone different than I was. Um, and and to be able to share time like that with with some of my friends from back home is cool. Um trying to get him out here. I got a I got a friend who goes to ETSU, and I've played with him since I was like eight years old. That's all. So I was able to get him here a couple times and uh get a little bit of that feeling of home here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

But um is your family able to make it down?

SPEAKER_00 27:32

Pop Pops makes it to a lot of a lot of games. Um we've gotten my sister, my my mom, and uh my dogs down here a couple times too. Sweet. But you know, I have two Avenue's poodles and they can be a handful. Oh my gosh, especially in the car.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

Oh, that's and that's a long drive.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

Yeah, so about ten and a half hours.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

That's a long drive. Yeah. Maybe though, because the weather is a little bit nicer here, they'll want like a little escape from the cold. Like, hey, it's gonna be like 80 degrees this week. And if you want to go take them, taking a game.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

In your Tennessee debut, you punched out nine and gave up just one run over six innings. What do you remember about that moment stepping on the mound for the first time as Tennessee volunteer?

SPEAKER_00 28:13

Yeah, I I definitely had butterflies in my stomach leading up to that. Um, and and usually that's one I do pretty good, but I still had butterflies in the first inning. So the first inning was a little rough, but was able to to get through that and kind of settle in playing, you know. And I've never played in a stadium that big before. So to be able to settle in there and we kind of figured it out and like I said, play freely and it was a good good day.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

And it's a beautiful stadium, like all of the renovations that they did. I mean, I can only imagine taking it all in and like there's fans like almost all the way around you guys. Like, yeah, yeah, it's such an awesome environment over there.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

It feels like a like a big dome and it kind of like towers over you, but it's cool. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

Oh my gosh, no, it's beautiful. Um, I want to talk too about your journey with your type one diabetes because you've been pretty open about it, which I think is an amazing thing that you're really championing it for those who also look up to you. Um, but your message has always been the same and that it doesn't define you. How has managing that responsibility also though helped shape your discipline, not just in baseball, but also in life, having to take care of yourself in a way that I would imagine most college students don't, you know, get that, get those habits formed, you know, in these years of life.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah, I think, you know, the maturation kind of came early because, you know, you don't really have a choice. You have to deal with those things. Um, but you know, I haven't been able to do it on my own the entire time. I've had the support of my parents, um, and they've been everything I could ever ask for. Um, but also athletes, uh Sam Fold was the first uh type one diabetic baseball player that I had ever heard of. Um and then recently, or not recently, shortly after that, okay, uh Devin Smelter, um, he's a pitcher who was diagnosed with uh cancer. Um so I had a couple people to look up to to help me through that process. And you know, I'm I'm hoping and I'm looking to to you know be a a Devin Smelter or Sam Fold to to anyone. Um I'd love it if people came up and asked questions, you know, I'd want to help them out.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Yeah. There's also a really interesting story from the fr your first Friday night start against LSU, right? I heard about it a little bit from the radio. If you just want to like give the breakdown of what happened, because I think it's like a reality that many people don't realize you're managing in real time.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Yeah. Um, so I I wear two devices, um, one of which is on my arm, and uh that reads my blood sugar levels, uh, and the other is kind of like an IV needle. Um and I wear insulin pump, and it the insulin kind of goes through tubing and then through the needle um that I wear. And uh yeah, so I think it was third or fourth inning. Um I had just struck out John Pearson, I believe it was, and I kind of celebrated, and then I felt the needle kind of pop out and then go back in. I was like, ooh, like that didn't feel very good. So uh I believe the next batter was Zach York, and I fell behind 3-0. It was just the needle was going out, back in, out, back in, out, back in. And I was like, every time you threw the ball out and in. Yeah, and and I think the the commentators had said that it looked like it was my oblique or something. They're like, oh, his Velo's not down though. Like, what could it be? So yeah, I could understand, like, that's a pretty confusing moment for a lot of people. Uh, but yeah, my trainer came out, uh, E came out, uh, the umpire came over, infield came in, and they were like, Hey, you're alright. And I'm like, Yeah, this needle just keeps popping out and going back in. I feel like I'm getting a flu shot every time I I throw a pitch. Oh my goodness. Um, but I was like, all right, like I'm just gonna rip it out. And so they're like, all right, tight circle, kind of undid my my jersey and my belt, and uh, I just kind of ripped the needle off. And uh fortunately, the next pitch in 3-0 count, he was green light and and swung, uh, got a pop-up, got out of that inning, and uh, I just went back with Woody, the trainer, and was able to get a fresh one on and uh yeah, rode out the rest of that.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Oh my goodness. Has that ever happened to you before playing baseball or have you had any similar instances?

SPEAKER_00 32:36

Yeah, um back when uh I used to swing it a little bit as a position player. Um I dove into I think I stole third or something like that, and I dove in the to the base and it like ripped the needle off. Um I've had situations where I was wearing my CGM on my throwing arm and uh I was in the middle of pitching and it just kind of flew off my arm while I was throwing. Um it's funny because the first time it happened my freshman year, I came in uh as a reliever to close out a coaches versus cancer tournament game. It was a pretty big game against uh my school, Bishop Eustace, and uh I think Jackson Memorial. It was pretty two pretty big teams in Jersey. And uh yeah, I threw a pitch and it flew off, and I was kind of grabbing my arm, and my high school coach thought I blew out like at Tommy John. Oh and so he was losing his mind, and I was like, no, no, no, like I'm good, my arm is fine, I'm completely healthy. This thing just fell off my arm. And uh, so yeah, he I got his blood pressure up pretty high during that. But um, yeah, no, I've I've I've definitely had my fair share of obstacles throughout my career, but uh, you know, have had the resources to be able to bounce back from it easily, and then also uh, you know, hopefully sharing this story. Yeah, you know, some people can can relate to it and also feel free to reach out for help.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

Well, and I was gonna say, what's been like the the the biggest or the best way that you've been able to overcome these challenges and not let it like you like I mean you say it doesn't define you, but like truly not let it define you and being able to push through of like, oh no big deal, like we'll just get it taken care of, where I feel like some other people it might be hard to look past those setbacks.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

Yeah, it's definitely intimidating. Um but uh you know, I I know people have been there before, um and I have tremendous amounts of help by my side uh everywhere. So I I never really freak out about it, you know. I don't know. It's just we're I think being prepared is the biggest thing. Yeah. Um, if you're not prepared, you're preparing to fail. Uh but yeah, I've had all the resources around me and staying prepared, it's I never really freak out about it.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

When you sit back and you think about it, how great is it to be able to be a role model, maybe not even knowingly, to kids who are watching Tennessee baseball and seeing, like, oh my goodness, if he can do it, why can't I?

SPEAKER_00 35:07

Yeah, I I've I've gotten a couple of DMs from some younger guys. Um type one diabetics and not. Um and for me, it's the greatest feeling in the world to know that you know that they look up to me in that way. Yeah. Um you know, that people care in that way. And it's I don't it's it's awesome. I don't have words for it. It's just such a good feeling.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

Coming from New Jersey to Tennessee was obviously like a really big move. I mean, that's a 10-hour drive from home versus a 40-minute drive when you were uh back at Wreckers. How important has your family, your community, um, high school coaches just been supporting you through this entire journey to get you to where you are today?

SPEAKER_00 35:53

Yeah, with family, I talk to my mom and dad every day pretty much. Um and so they know the ins and outs of my life. Um but yeah, having the support from coaches back home every once in a while, checking in, you know, how is stuff going? Uh if you ever need help with anything, you know, reach out, let me know. Um but it's it's a good more just a good feeling for me to know that I have that support and people think of me, uh, even though I might not be in their life anymore. Um it's I don't it just it feels great.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

What's been the best part about being on Rocky Top this past year?

SPEAKER_00 36:32

Uh I'm I I really think the biggest two is is just the support behind baseball, but the support behind the university as a whole. Um the amount of fans that that show up, you know, no matter how good or bad we're playing, that's just that they care and they want to see us win. Uh but you know, the tremendous support behind the football team, the basketball team. Like it's just been my dream to to go and play for a school where like the people care, the people want you to succeed. And yeah. I feed off of it, like as much as you know, maybe it doesn't seem like they're they think they're doing anything, they're just cheering. Like, I seriously, a lot of my success comes off of the the brighter lights, and I love uh the support that we have. It's it's truly amazing.

SPEAKER_01 37:22

It is pretty incredible here at the University of Tennessee seeing it across not just the big five, but like all of our athletic programs. There is so much support across them all. I mean, the there'll be times too where the rowing team will be going and practicing in the morning and cars will like be honking and you know, cheering them on or like by the park that happened to me the other weekend. I was in Sequoia Hills and they were coming by and people were stopping and pointing and waving at them. So it goes across the entire athletic department, and it is so it's so it's so noticeable to your point of like how strongly this community bleeds orange for the University of Tennessee.

SPEAKER_00 37:57

The fans traveling too, I think that's something that needs to be noted. Um whether we go to Texas and we're playing in the Rangers Stadium or we go to Mississippi State, whatever it is, they always show. It's just I I I can't believe it. It I don't I don't understand it, but I don't want it to change. You know what I mean? I I they go out on a limb, they go to extreme measures to be able to support us, and it's just such a great feeling.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Right. Yeah, whether it's on the road, whether it's at home, whether it's a midweek, they will be there.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

They're there.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

They're there. Uh is there one moment that stands out to you the most um when you look back on the season so far that is pretty special.

SPEAKER_00 38:38

I'm gonna say uh the announcement of E being our head coach, um, I think that really set a tone for us. That was a top moment in my baseball career. We we wanted it for him, for his family. Um, but we you know, it was there was no one more deserving of that role um than him. And like I said, the the eruption that we had in our team meeting room, that was just an amazing moment. And like I said, set the tone for for this year.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

And I think you're still in the middle of the season, like we haven't even finished year one fully for you. But what does it what does it truly mean to you to be a volunteer, to play under some of the brightest lights, um, and only your second year in collegiate baseball and to be representing the power tee?

SPEAKER_00 39:27

Yeah, and I I think there's a lot of people that that hate us because they ain't us, you know. Um but we feed off of that and and we love it. Um but it's just I don't know. I feel like it I don't know how it can't be everyone's dream to come play baseball for Tennessee. I I'm I'm extremely blessed that I'm here and I love every bit of it.

SPEAKER_01 39:49

What would little Landon think?

SPEAKER_00 39:51

Oh my gosh, he'd be flipping his lid. Yeah, he he would love it.

SPEAKER_01 39:57

He'd be like he's the coolest guy ever.

SPEAKER_00 40:01

He might be upset that you know we are a pitcher and we don't hit anymore. But I think aside from that, he'd be super happy.

SPEAKER_01 40:10

Right. I think he'd be able to let that one go when he realizes like the reason.

SPEAKER_00 40:15

The ceiling was higher, throwing the ball, not hitting it.

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Yeah, so it's okay. It's okay. We'll let that one go. But Landon, thanks so much. Thanks for the time. It was so great getting to know you off the field. I know our fans are gonna enjoy it too. And good luck the rest of the way. We're cheering you all on and can't wait to see what you do.

SPEAKER_00 40:31

Thank you so much. It's a pleasure being here. Thank you.