Tennessee baseball is going to be without its starting catcher for the opening game of the Fayetteville Super Regional vs. Arkansas.

Cannon Peebles was ejected in the late stage of the Vols' regional finals win over Wake Forest. By NCAA rule, this makes him ineligible to play in the team's following game, which is in the super regionals.

Peebles was ejected after striking out. According to Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, the Demon Deacons catcher celebrated the result. Peebles' response was enough to warrant the ejection in the eyes of the home plate umpire and Vitello.

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"The catcher celebrated the strikeout, as he should. We're in a regional," Vitello said after the game. "Cannon said something back to him, as he should not. But probably what he said to the catcher is something both dugouts said back and forth to one another the whole night long. I don't know if it had to do something with a warning being out there or not. I've sat in here—and the Notre Dame game (in 2022) for one which is relevant, I've sat in here (to address an ejection). I'd like to think these kids would say I've got their back as much as any coach they've been around. But it was foolish.

"First of all, take your walk because the ball wasn't close to being a strike. And then have some composure, especially in that situation playing the scoreboard. Cannon is always going to err on the side of working hard, if not working too hard, and playing hard, if not playing too hard. It was a foolish mistake. And to be honest with you, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was Stone Lawless is probably up for Teammate of the Year Award again two years in a row. He got some action and he deserves it and he's fully capable back there, too."

Pool reporter Wes Rucker sent in a question to the umpire via text. He asked 'in a big game with lots of chirping from both teams, what did Cannon Peebles do that was different enough to merit an ejection?'

The umpire responded, 'unsportsmanlike behavior toward the opposing catcher.'

As Vitello alluded, Stone Lawless is the likely option to start in the place of Peebles. Lawless, a redshirt freshman, is hitting .304 on the season with limited SEC action. He has appeared in 27 games while making 20 starts.

In 56 at-bats, he has notched 17 hits, 17 runs, 20 RBI, 19 walks, one hit-by-pitch, four doubles, a triple and five home runs.

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