Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello is as competitive as any and holds his program to standards higher than anyone else. But after Tennessee’s season came to an end with a super regional series loss against Arkansas, Vitello found positivity amongst a disappointing finish.
“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,” Vitello said.
“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.”
Tennessee finished the season with a 46-19 (16-14 SEC) record earning the opportunity to host a regional as the No. 14 overall seed nationally. The Vols won a regional for the fifth straight time, something no other program has done more than three times in that same time frame.
That resume was all the more impressive when compared to other recent champions. Since COVID, the Vols are the only program that won a regional the year after winning the national championship.
“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,” Vitello said. “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. … They certainly helped carry the torch for our program.”
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For Vitello, his positive feelings towards his team are just as much about their work ethic and competitiveness than wins and losses. Throughout a shaky back half of the season, Vitello remained positive about his team’s mindset and process.
Hunter Ensley will go down as a Tennessee legend and added a few more iconic moments in his final season in the orange and white. Liam Doyle and Andrew Fischer played just one season at Tennessee but left it all out on the field and were a major part of the Vols’ success.
“The way Liam [Doyle] battled – the Vanderbilt game where [Hunter] Ensley basically won the game with yet another catch,” Vitello said. “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.”
Tennessee’s season didn’t end back in Omaha, which has become the goal every season under Vitello. And that isn’t lost on the Vols’ head coach. Even amongst a positive end of season press conference, Vitello couldn’t help mentioning his desire for more next year.
“There was a lot (of achievements), but sure would like to get those 50 wins,” Vitello said. “Little short of that. So, maybe they’re a group that helps motivate us for next year.”
