Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello met with the media following the Vols’ 12-8 series-clinching win over Mississippi State on Friday night to share his thoughts on the win.
Vitello discussed Camden Sewell’s great relief outing, Blake Burke adapting to different pitches at the plate, Chase Dollander battling through a nasty sickness and more.
“We wanted to get to a situation where Cam could throw six outs for us with the game on the line,” Vitello said about Sewell. “We were hoping it’d be the eighth and ninth. Obviously came in earlier in a big jam and what he did after was incredible. Could have managed the pitching on our side better but you certainly have to give them credit for what they’re capable of doing offensively and what they did.”
More on Dollander, Vitello said they made the decision to start Dollander at the top of the morning despite the Vols ace continuing to battle his sickness throughout the day.
“He tried to gut the thing out,” Vitello said. “It stinks he didn’t get that reward I’m talking about, but I think if anything now he has got his teammates respect, and I think he’s got baseball or karma, whatever you want to call it… he’s got a break coming to him because of what he tried to do tonight, and it’s awesome to see his teammates pick him up the way they did.”
Vitello’s entire postgame press conference video is below.
