Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson are suspended for the top-ranked Vols’ series finale against Alabama Sunday.
The full extent of the suspensions has not been announced upon publication, but neither coach will be available for the series rubber match.
Vitello and Anderson were both ejected in the first inning of Tennessee’s, 9-3, win over the Crimson Tide Saturday night.
Alabama third baseman Zane Denton hit a line drive off of Tennessee starter Chase Dollander and both Anderson and Vitello were quick out of the dugout with some pointed remarks at Alabama’s dugout.
“I don’t (know),” Tennessee assistant coach Josh Elander said of what was said from the Alabama dugout. “I just know Frank, he’s in good shape. He runs. I think he told me he ran three miles this morning and he got a couple more steps in. I don’t know exactly what he said. I just know he loves coaching the pitchers, he’s really good at it and he’s going to take care of his guys. I think that’s another long line of the many times he’s done that.”
When coaches are ejected, the NCAA makes a decision on whether the actions warrant an additional suspension. According to the NCAA, Vitello‘s actions warranted a suspension.
The SEC automatically suspends assistant coaches one game when they are ejected. Anderson was last ejected on April 7, 2019 against Mississippi State.
Vitello was last ejected in the Vols’ series opening loss to Vanderbilt last season. The game, incidentally, took place exactly one year before Vitello’s ejection Saturday night. The head coach did not serve a suspension for that ejection. The fifth-year head coach served a one-game suspension and ran a lemonade stand when the SEC suspended Vitello for a game against Kentucky in his first season.
First pitch for the series rubber match is at 1 p.m. ET. The SEC Network+ will stream the game.
