2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 18, 2021

Tony Vitello

Tennessee Volunteers

Postgame Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello. If you could give us a brief opening statement about making it to Omaha.

COACH VITELLO: Obviously this is the place to be this time of year. It's like the abeesa [phonetic] of college baseball. They do it up right, and it's drawn out into an even bigger event since the building of the new stadium. I know our guys are excited as any team to be here. Eventually we'll all get down to business, but the pageantry and everything that comes with being here is certainly phenomenal.

Q. I know you talked yesterday about the home runs that you all hit in terms of transferring that to Omaha. But on the flipside of that, how much do you think it benefits your pitchers that seemingly maybe the only runs they give up are home runs, how much do you think it benefits them to play in a bigger park and being able to pitch in a bigger park like that?

COACH VITELLO: I definitely think it does. It's incentive to throw strikes. And one of our guys -- our guys on the mound, their brand name is trying to attack. And you get rewarded when you do throw strikes, not only in our park but especially here, like you said, because it has a tendency on most days to play bigger.

So, I think that incentive is there. There's no reason for our guys to change doing what they've done to get us here.

Q. In baseball, you have to have so many repetitions to get better. It's been a quirky week with a week off in between games, and I imagine the NCAA is kind of dictating when you all practice and whatnot. But how have you all made sure that the guys continue to get reps so maybe there's not any rust on Sunday?

COACH VITELLO: I think it started with we crammed in a lot on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday before we got on a flight. So we were able to kind of regroup, get organized and get back into routines starting with Monday.

And then since we've been here, everything is laid out, structured pretty well. I guess the difference is you know when you're asked to do things, it's bam, bam, bam, and then you end up with a chunk of free time. So it's not as spread as evenly. But otherwise no complaints from us, and probably any other team.

You get enough repetitions for this time of year. If this was February, we'd crank up the team meetings and analysis of some things, but this time of year it's just kind of about playing. And if anything our players have certainly earned the right to have that freedom.

Q. Being named coach of the year by two organizations, what does that honor mean to you?

COACH VITELLO: It's a lot at once. It's one more thing that I owe gratitude for our players for. And I think the other thing I mentioned to them it means we made wise decisions in who we hired around us, because those are the guys that are putting together the nuts and bolts of the program.

And Frank Anderson -- I don't mean to discredit any of the other guys, but people inside college baseball know what's going on in our program. Pitching is incredibly crucial for everybody, and that guy is the most experienced leader in our dugout. And it affects our program in a great way.

I certainly am humbled and appreciate it. I think the emphasis is on this year because you look around the coaches that are just here in Omaha, but also in our conference and across the country, like I said, it's humbling.

I think the thing I like the most about it is it got my niece to say to say she thinks I'm uncle of the year in a text message. That's the one I'm going to hang my hat on for sure.

Q. Obviously it's going to be hard when you get to Omaha no matter who is there. But with three programs that have been no stranger to making the College World Series, do you kind of revel in that opportunity to compete against the big programs across the country?

COACH VITELLO: Yes, I think that's why our kids selected to come to our place. They wanted to compete in the SEC, which is find out what you can do against the best. And a lot of it, too, was coming to Tennessee and trying to revitalize the program. So those are both things that are great challenges. So I think it's in their DNA to welcome a challenge.

It's certainly been difficult right out of the chute for us when you talk about playing Wright State to start the tournament. As we sit here ready to enter a new tournament amongst three other teams, I think it matters a little bit who they are and what they've got. But more than anything, it's kind of on our shoulders to be who we are and stay true to what got us here.

Q. Your dad is a legendary high school baseball and soccer coach. And with Father's Day coming up, we're just getting some input -- I know you're close to your dad -- what does he mean to you coming up on Father's Day?

COACH VITELLO: You know, he means the same as -- the way every other kid looks up to their father and even more for me, because it not only involves me as a person but also my occupation.

So in a roundabout way I'll lean on the cliché, it's too hard to put into words, but I am a believer in karma. When I grew up I watched legendary coaches like Augie Garrido come here multiple times. And I know he was a guy that was certainly into karma and things work in a certain way.

It's just crazy that we're here for the first time, and it's going to land on Father's Day. So I'll cherish it when I get out of bed in the morning. Maybe it's a little extra incentive to get a win. But regardless of how things go, it will be great to know he's in the stands, and it will be a pleasure to hook up with not only he but the rest of my family after the game.

Q. I was curious your thoughts on, first of all, Evan Russell this year and what he's meant to your team. But also how he's developed in your time there and how much better he's gotten over the last couple of years.

COACH VITELLO: It's a pride point for us because when he first stepped on campus we had just gotten the job. You're trying to analyze what you have, what you don't have. And to be honest, we didn't think we had much there with Evan. He came with a reputation of a guy who could hit, but had a lot of those high school tendencies that hitters have there. And it's a different level.

We weren't sure what position he could play. And he's kind of been a parallel to what the program's become. Just get a little bit better each day. And that's what he's done in a bunch of different facets of the game. Now he's a centerpiece of the locker room. He's a centerpiece of the lineup and a guy who we thought did not have a position, I've got video that's comical of him trying to catch his first fall for us, then move to the infield, move to the outfield.

He's become a plus defender and has really made a difference in some of our games with his glove and his arm.

So he's a guy we can point to, whether it be recruiting or for fans. He's not the most important one and he's not the only one that fits this billing, but he is kind of the ultimate Vol as it relates to the baseball program.

Q. The last question sort of was kind of what I was going to ask in some ways. So I'll rephrase it a little bit. When you got this job a few years ago, you walk in there's guys like Russell, Lipcius, Hunley, Walsh, if someone said you're going to be in Omaha four years, and these guys would be kind of linchpins of your team, would you have believed that?

COACH VITELLO: I don't know. I'm trying to put myself in that scenario. My first answer would be, slow down; I don't even know where I'm going to live yet.

So, it was a whirlwind for a couple of years and because of the pandemic I guess here we are in year four. But without year three being completed, it's a little bit of disorientation.

So, dating back to that, my analysis -- and I'm just being honest, people may disagree, I may be wrong -- but coach Delmonico was a legend at the University of Tennessee. He made it to this city several times. Once he left, things took a deep dive. And Coach Serrano and his staff were hired on to fix things, basically.

And it was a problem that I think needed more than just a few years to not only dig out of a hole, but get back to neutral and then eventually get back to what is again considered the promised land of college baseball. And we were handed the baton. And if anything, things certainly were back to neutral. And it helped us get a running start into things.

A lot of it is just those kids' character. When we got there, like I said, we didn't think we had a ton of talent. Even though there was enough there to compete a little bit in the SEC, but the character that was left behind -- and it's kind of made it through what our requirements are as a coaching staff has been a big difference maker for us.

Q. How basic were those building blocks for the first year or two? I know you said before, talking about painting the weight room and things like that, but just how basic do you have to start building a foundation to get to where you're a championship program?

COACH VITELLO: I think breaking it down to when you arrive and how you arrive at the facility, when you leave and how you leave the facility; what is considered hard work? What's eye wash? What does it really take to make a difference in this league? And when you raise that question literally in a team meeting, it comes down to mentality.

We kind of knew we had a big deal here. There was some talent, but there needed to be a mentality shift. So there's a little bit of a feeling-out process. As a doctor, hopefully you don't just start prescribing things; you've got to take some time and kind of analyze what's going on, what you think might be an issue that could use some assistance. So there was a lot of patience involved, in hiring staff members and getting staff members to implement what they do, not right away, just everything in your face, but slowly feel out what we had and what was needed.

So it was slow. And I think it made a quick jump last year; again because of the character of the kids and we were fortunate to recruit some talent on top of talent we inherited.

Q. Seems like you all still had the same nine guys in the lineup for most of the back half of the year. But when Christian Scott and Kyle Booker get opportunities, Logan, seems like they take advantage. What have you seen from those guys to be ready when their name's called?

COACH VITELLO: And Jackson Greer, too, I think what he did with Pav being out a little bit was invaluable. He's ready to go as well. We could knock out a couple of other names. But I think the way those guys have been handled by our support staff, they don't get pushed back to the room, back of the cages, however you want to phrase it; they're worked with and developed the exact same way guys who have become our concrete starting nine are.

When the time comes, because the guy's a little banged up or we want to make a change or we think it's a good matchup against a pitcher, they've been ready to go. And I think we're the benefactor, as are most teams across the country, of COVID rosters, you maybe have a little bit more depth than normal.

But some of those names like Kyle Booker, any other year he's starting for us every day in the outfield. So it's a combination of things, but we're blessed to have some depth on the mound as well as in the dugout with position guys.