Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello joined John Wilkerson on Sports Talk 99.1 Thursday morning as the Vols continue fall ball work and ahead of their instrasquad scrimmage Saturday in Chattanooga.
Vitello discussed what fans can expect Saturday in Chattanooga, his early impressions of some newcomers and much more. Here’s everything Vitello said.
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On watching Garrett Crochet’s gem against the Yankees this week
“It was, surreal is the word people like to lean on when it’s truly that amazing to watch. His presence was incredible. He obviously did great while he was throwing but he finished the thing off with a smile and the pat on the rear of Coach Cora there and then just the way he walked off the mound and took in the whole crowd at Yankee Stadium was pretty incredible to see. A long long way from being an immature freshman and has officially become a super star.”
On the last pitch of his 116 pitch outing being his hardest
“You could see him dial back and a lot of times when a guy does that, especially someone younger and it’s fueled off of adrenaline, they lose command. But he dotted up a pitch and it’s funny, you could see him go back and look at the iPad in the dugout to see if a pitch earlier was strike three and it probably was based off the technology but the umpire hadn’t called it. It just made it kind of more impressive the way he ended that hitter and just the outing.”
On Saturday’s fall scrimmage in Chattanooga
“It’s our first opportunity to get off campus and to play in Chattanooga has become a routine for us that we love. It’s an easy drive. There’s a ton of fans that will obviously show out. We expect a sell out. They take good care of us there and then ultimately the goal is accomplished of seeing what our guys can do in a new environment in front of a big crowd in front of great competition. This Saturday will be huge for us.”
On if he likes what he’s seen from his team in fall ball so far
“Yeah, I do. I think more than anything, the internal competition has fueled some guys to play well. And the way they seem to get along, that magic word of chemistry is not easy to manipulate or create. A lot of times it’s just there. These guys have that to this point.”
On Virginia transfer Henry Ford
“He’ll be returning to Chattanooga where he went to high school at Baylor. So we’ve known who he is for quite a long time but his family was heavily tied to Virginia so that’s where is heart was out of high school. With the coaching change, he decided to change as well and came to our place as a hopeful centerfielder. Obviously we lose Hunter Ensley and you’re looking for anybody to replace him but also he’s shown a high level of skillset. Almost kind of a Kris Bryant type look to him at third base with his size and length. The biggest thing he’s known for is his bat and he’s drive balls all over the park already. And I think has a chance to be the next big time, formidable guy in the middle of the lineup for us.”
On which newcomers have stood out
“The biggest thing is that cluster of guys that were freshmen last year, coming back with a new presence to them. A little more confidence. A little more physicality. I would even include Stone Lawless and Blake Grimmer into that group. It’s their third year on campus but they were redshirt freshmen and then the familiar names of Manny, Jay Abernathy, Levi Clark and Chris Newstrom. Then on the mound too, Brayden Krenzel and Tegan Kuhns are two guys that were freshmen that made an impact. It’s been a blessing to have those guys all return in general but to return with that new look to them that separates their freshman year and sophomore year in competing.”
On what it will be like when they get the team to Chattanooga
“It will be chaos. It’s going to be football weekend of Baylor vs. McCallie and I know Friday that will be the main event in Chattanooga. A lot of those people will be lingering, hanging out and enjoying the city for the rest of the weekend. That was the intent. To combine our efforts with that game and I think it’s going to mean, hopefully no fights in the stands but there will still be some competing going on between Baylor and McCallie in a few different ways and I think one way may be even getting creative and having some things tied into our game. Obviously it will be competitive but it being a split squad game for us, it’ll allow a little more flexibility for some things beforehand, afterward and between innings. It’ll be as informal as possible to make it a great experience for fans.”
On freshman LHP Cameron Appenzeller
“He’s been great because he’s abnormally calm for his age and I think to this point, he’s thrown about as well as you’d expect. The one thing that people have to keep in mind with our pitchers including him —who is a long, lanky, young body— is these guys get beat up in the weight room pretty good with Coach Q. And I think that’s going to affect how their legs are beneath them. So it’s not like he or anyone else are blowing away any hitters. But I think the signs of success in the spring that we’re looking for— a lot of it is based off presence and like I said, he’s had a calmness to him that’s a little unique for a kid his age and he’s not the only one. But as it relates to him in particular, he can probably call on his big time basketball experiences and also on the golf course, he’s had a ton of success as an athlete. A lot of that probably breeds a little bit of what I’m talking about.”
On a trip to Nashville later in the month, on how they handle the fall schedule week to week
“These games are great but the big thing for us is they kind of intervene a little bit with building up pitchers and you’re trying to get as many guys as possible an opportunity to pitch in front of those big crowds which that usually means a shorter outing because we’ve got several pitchers we want to use. Then you’ve got to fluctuate back into the rhythm of trying to build up their pitch count so they can go two or three innings as a reliever and usually four or maybe five is the most a guy would do in the fall as a starter. But we are marching our way to that fall world series where you want guys to be able to be expended a little bit so it’s kind of a juggling act. You’re going back and forth and I wouldn’t say a blessing or a curse with those outside competitions or neutral site games, but we’ve got a little bit of a work around we’ve got to do with that. We just try and play the best we can and we want as many innings as possible so those pitchers can show what they can do but also so the hitters get an opportunity to get in there and get a bunch of at-bats so we have a proper sample size to see what they’re all about.”
On construction at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, if fans can watch scrimmages there
“Yeah, it’s a little delicate. The porches are somewhat available. I know on certain days, there’s probably more of a proper word to phrase it, but the bottom line is there have been parents and some people who can come in but by no means can they come fully into the stadium. It would be the porches that we’re restricted to and if you’re there or you’re even around it— you’ll see why. There’s literally cranes that have equipment or steel going over the playing field at times and a lot of drilling and a lot of other noises going on but we all remind ourselves how sweet it’s going to be in the long run when it’s complete.”
On Tennessee football finding a way to win at Mississippi State
“It was massive. I think it’s a confidence builder for the next time they go on the road and sometimes you size up the schedule and are thinking if we can win these games or those games… I don’t think that was a gimme by any means. It was a swing game for sure that’s going to affect the total record down the road. That’s kind of stating the obvious because it’s either a win or a loss. But there are games on our schedule that everyone expects us to win. And there’s some that people expect to be a challenge. I think that definitely was one of them. For them to be victorious and now lean on the fact that they’ve played great competition and have been pushed to the brink of overtime twice, there’s a lot of different experiences to call on in the future and a lot of levels of confidence.”
