Vitello wraps up the season.
Tennessee, much like the entire second half of this baseball season, just couldn’t quite put the pieces together this weekend in Fayetteville. The Volunteers dropped a must-win game No. 2 on Sunday afternoon as Arkansas got to Liam Doyle early on and never let up.
Tony Vitello’s title-defending team comes up two wins short of another appearance in Omaha. It was the ending to a strange, frustrating — and even at times dominant season. It once again served as a reminder of just how difficult it is to make the College World Series.
Shortly after the game, Tony Vitello wrapped up the series and the season.
Tony Vitello’s opening statement…
“Congrats to Arkansas and their fan base and everybody in here. You don’t like losing. I think I’ve shown the worst side of that, but it is a little different when you have the amount of respect for the people that you do and they’ll go off and do their thing. But as it relates to us and our place, I’ll be the first one to apologize to our fan base that’s just as special, and that we’re not going to Omaha. Can certainly go, but you’re not gonna be able to go as a fan.
“But looking back on this year, and if I’m remiss that we still have a team going, I apologize. But if you’re a Vol fan, it was a pretty special year. You got to have all the office conversations, maybe even go all the way up to Columbus with football. I could go on and on with a bunch of other sports. You got one of the best men on the planet leading your basketball team, and you got to have all the fun that those guys provided. Women’s basketball couldn’t have been more exciting. You got to go watch the softball World Series in person if you wanted to. I’m leaving plenty out, especially with tennis and swimming and diving and some other things that have gone on. But it can always be better, and no one will let you know more than SEC fans, but I think things are going in an outstanding direction, not just on our campus, but in the city. So it’ll be up to us to continue to improve, because, mainly myself could have done better this year. But at the same time, even though we’re a little short of winning today and pushing to a game three, there’s lots to take pride in for these guys to my left (Hunter Ensley and AJ Russell) and then the other guys.”
On why the team was always close to reaching its full potential, but never quite could…
“Potential is a pretty vague word, and there’s no reason that team on the field that we just played can’t win the last game of the year. So I think if we fell short of our potential, that’s kind of hard — again, it’s vague. Think where we fell short was in some series against the best teams in the country, but at the same time — you know, the winning percentage if you want to break it down, I think we had the same amount of wins going into yesterday’s game as they (Arkansas) did. We had more wins than the team (Texas) that won the league this year. So trust me, I got as high a standards as anybody, but my closing words — none of them were any good — to the guys were, I hope they take pride in what they did this year and kind of what they put together. First of all, you should have fun, and you should make the workplace a good place. You’re going to be a teammate a lot longer than you’re going to be a player. But also, you should do some things out on the field. And our guys will remember today all day long, but I hope when they wake up tomorrow morning they remember that last game at Lindsay Nelson stadium that they won. There’s not many teams that have been able to say that, that they played their last game in Lindsey Nelson Stadium and won it. And obviously, I’m not talking about game 56.”
On the Logan Maxwell grand slam off AJ Russell….
“Carrying off of that with his answer. I mean, you always want to go back in time if it doesn’t go well. I think the matchup was Davalan for AJ. We went with the better breaking ball, off their two hole hitter, off Aloy. And then I think it’s a good matchup with how good AJ has been against lefties. But like you said, the guy just did a good job with two strikes. And if it was tighter in some of the games, you’d say the story of this series with these guys would be balls going into that bullpen. And I don’t know that we had any. Three different ones that were pop ups, or fly balls, but as AJ said, they were back spun. So unfortunate there.”
On what he saw from Liam Doyle…
“Just that Monday was a factor. And it doesn’t have to be for future teams. I’ve been on some teams where it’s not. It was a factor. And I think just in general. So it was also pretty memorable and pretty special. And I don’t know that, if we don’t play on Monday, who’s to say that we win a game or beat Arkansas. Again, can’t go back in time or see in the future. But I think the way he was missing spots in particular, leaving balls, armside to lefties. And a credit to Davalan. He’s a guy, Frank (Anderson) and I even talked before the game. He put a hell of a swing on a guy that struck him out the last time we were here. Arvs been pretty tough on guys, and so he caused everybody to scramble a little bit. He got Liam. Looking back on it, I mean Liam’s always going to tell you he’s 1,000%. Let the guy die on a shield, maybe, or go out on a shield. Who’s to say he wouldn’t have got him out. So I wish I had all those answers. We’d be in a different spot right now.”
On his assessment of the offense, if there were similarities to struggles earlier in the season…
“Not really. I think if it had a common theme from what you’re referring to, or are just, in my eyes, sitting in the dugout sometimes, and today, it’s an emotional group. And when you take a punch in the gut. It can derail you a little bit. There’s times where they did not let allow that to happen. I mean, Wake Forest goes up 2-0 is the most recent example. Texas goes up 4-0 or something similar. So wasn’t always the case, but if we had a weak spot, it was a little bit of that in particular out of some offensive guys. But also, Arkansas is really good. I mean, Root I don’t know what he said in here, but that’s the best he’s thrown. I think he climbed his best bullet by two miles an hour, at least. And he was really good. It was a tight game yesterday, obviously we could have swung better. I think today, bases loaded, nobody out. We’d like to do more damage than one run. But after that, I think dealing with the emotion of being down by a good margin. And being down to your last game if you don’t win, was a factor.”
On Arkansas’ Cole Gibler’s outing…
“He started throwing that slider more, especially to righties. They got a lot of guys with good stuff. So, I have no qualms with it, but I don’t have to like the word slide… we never lost more than two games in a row this year. I don’t know how you judge what potential is. If you look at the Top 25 in all college sports, they’re not very good. But if you look at the top 25 in baseball preseason, they’re terrible. And that’s no one’s fault. It’s just very difficult to predict. Our first base coach was on K State’s (Kansas State) team that was basically a good slide away from going to Omaha. I think they were picked last that year in the Big 12.
“I’m not taking a knock at anybody, but if we were to fall short of a category or something like that, or you mentioned, basically Sunday games [are] what you referred to, we didn’t score enough runs. We were a little short of having a third starter and having a named closer and a couple other things. We had good arms. Not crying about that. We got some guys that made some money for themselves this year, but referring to hitting and (Cole) Gibler, he’s good, but they got like four of those guys left-handed. McEntire didn’t even throw, and they didn’t need him.
“They got a bevy of good arms for sure, which made it difficult on our hitters. Like Gibler, a lot of those guys are effective with good stuff, but also off-speed stuff that will keep you a little off-balance. So, if we were to have a better year, I think we would have needed some guys like that. But like I said, I enjoy being around my guys, and maybe you can reflect on today – maybe Jay’s (Jay Abernathy) deal is a little bit of symbolism there that the future is not bleak at the very least.”
On the gamble of intentionally walking Charles Davalan to load the bases…
“I don’t really think so. It was a quick decision we made there together in the corner. He almost ruined the new office facility over there, so I don’t think it was… He’s kind of like (Andrew) Fischer. Maybe people will disagree with that, but if you’re kind of watching and wearing a different uniform, he does some things that would aggravate you because he’s good and he’s playing hard. I’d assume he’s one of their tougher guys, and he’s certainly talented. I wouldn’t call it a risk. The guy behind him is pretty good, too. It’s a hell of a lineup. [It] might be the most complete lineup in the conference. Can’t speak for the country, haven’t seen everybody.”
On his post-game interaction with Dave Van Horn & Arkansas coaching staff…
“Well, I was quick to talk to him. I told him I’d come back and meet him around. So, he ran off, but by accident, I don’t think he knew that’s what I meant. So, however many times we shook hands, we’ve had two bad come-back-around-there deals. That’s a joke. You know, hopefully I didn’t look bad in front of my team.
“I miss some of those guys. I miss some of those guys. So, they deserve to win. Certainly would like to beat them. I think maybe we [will] play them next year. Some of those guys said things they didn’t have to say, and I think there’s a mutual respect there. There’s a coach in our league that anytime he sees you on the road, always says, ‘I know we’re supposed to hate each other, but I have a lot of respect for you guys.’ Depending on the day, you like it. Sometimes you don’t like it. But I think it’s well thought out. This league is insane, especially in our sport, what it’ll do to you, and I think we all have a certain amount of respect for each other. But as you mentioned, I’ve got time here, and while I was here, I was just as big of a knucklehead as I am now, but I tried to work my ass off. It’s a good place to work.”
On things the program can work on or focus on this offseason…
“Gotta go get guys. I mean, we’re very fortunate with quality, maybe not necessarily quantity. That ended up with Gavin [Kilen] and Fish [Andrew Fischer] and Liam [Doyle] and T -Frank [Tanner Franklin]. I think those were our four portal guys. Then, of course, we had the one kid signed in a draft. But last summer was tough. Last summer was tough. We weren’t on our campus. It just didn’t work out as well as we would want to. And then two, we bet on some young guys. I think you saw what Newey [Chris Newstrom] can do there, what Jay [Abernathy] can do. And last time we were here, Levi [Clark] hit one out of the park. I could mention other guys too. So no, you always want to recruit better. So, that’s what’s going to go on this summer. And then I think when you have success, I don’t think you loosen the reins or loosen things you do, but you can kind of get caught in a pattern. So, maybe getting shook up a little bit this particular weekend and not going as well as we wanted, which I think is kind of what you’re [reporter] alluding to, will motivate us to do some different things. Or maybe go back to our roots a little bit. But nothing crazy specific.”
On if there’s anything specific he will remember about this year’s team….
“Fish [Andrew Fischer] will certainly gain attention or create a conversation right there and it’s because he’s so comfortable in his own skin – like CMO [Christian Moore] was. Just a really fun kid to be around. I mean, if you don’t like him, again, it’s because you’re not wearing the same uniform as him. The way Liam [Doyle] battled – the Vanderbilt game where [Hunter] Ensley basically won the game with yet another catch. Those guys are warriors. So, I think it was a team that, after we had a lot of success last year, didn’t let it get to their head. They got after it. We had a hot start, almost too hot because it created some different conversations, but I think a team that is very unique. They had their own personality. They were a lot of fun to be around and they certainly helped carry the torch for our program. And it’s a long list. You guys can compile it. I kind of compiled my own in Hoover, what we had already accomplished to that date. There was a lot, but sure would like to get those 50 wins. Little short of that. So, maybe they’re a group that helps motivate us for next year.”
On his embrace with Arkansas assistant coach Bobby Wernes in postgame…
“Personal. I’ll hug the guy all day long, but he did it. He was trying to send a message. So, again, if I’m wearing a different uniform, people aren’t supposed to be nice to me. So, it makes the SEC fun. I can at, this point – I mean – growing up watching all my dad’s teams and I’ve heard about everything. So, you pay your ticket, you should be able to say whatever you want to say. Scoreboard is going to hurt more than any words you can ever, ever, ever mention. But he was trying to send a message, if that makes sense. And that’s because he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around. He’s quirky as all hell, but he could really defend and he made himself into a great hitter as well. But he’ll forever be a phenomenal teammate. That’s all he was trying to do there. And then we shared some personal words. Very appreciated.”
On short meeting with Dave Van Horn before press conference…
“It was just friendly. I mean, just friendly. I guess if there was something really juicy in there, it probably be too personal. And then if there was something of substance in there, I’d share it with you too. I think he’s in a good spot. He’s got three grandkids to keep him busy, but also keep some perspective and he knows he’s got a good team. If there’s a guy to lead them, it’s him going into the next thing that they’re doing. So just a light hearted conversation and a mutual, well appreciation and respect, for mine.”