2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 20, 2021

Tony Vitello

Tennessee Volunteers

Postgame Press Conference

Virginia - 6, Tennessee - 0

COACH VITELLO: I thought there were moments whether at the plate or on the mound where we lacked conviction and it cost us a little bit. And towards the end of the game, when the score wasn't the way we wanted, we uncharacteristically -- rolled over is not the right word, but we lost our edge a little bit, which has been so beneficial to us.

So Vol fans deserve better because I know they came out in big numbers and certainly have helped us to get to this point, too. But it wasn't like there wasn't some try hard out there and some preparation. If anything, maybe there was a little bit too much of that.

And for all those fans that did watch, certainly not the happiest Father's Day for our crew, but it is Father's Day so that will be the next thing that everyone needs to celebrate in our locker room. Then we need to turn the page and have some good preparation tomorrow to prepare for Tuesday afternoon.

Q. You said your team lacked conviction in moments. Why do you think that is? And what did that look like to you today?

COACH VITELLO: I think you're standing on this field and you can get caught up in your thoughts a little bit, what's on the line. It's certainly a new setting. It's the first time back at it after a week or so. So, you can feel for things instead of just doing things.

And I would hope our guys -- they're always good about kids and autographs, in my opinion, and spending their time -- I hope they all get stopped on the way to the bus or on the way back to the hotel by a kid and sign an autograph or dish out a high-five, and have a good reminder that this is a Little Leaguer game.

This is the only sport where the coach dresses up almost in a Halloween costume to be out there. So it needs to be treated as such regardless of the environment. Follow-up question may be was the moment too big or any of that stuff. I just think a pretty good pitcher out there who made pitches when he needed to. We could have helped ourselves in situations by being on the attack a little bit more in the proper baseball fashion, in a loose manner or an aggressive manner, than kind of feeling our way through some stuff.

Q. You had three opportunities in the first six innings with at least two runners on and nobody out. What did you see in those instances? And then, do you think that maybe led to the big seventh inning for Virginia, maybe demoralizing the guys maybe helping open up the floodgates there?

COACH VITELLO: I think to steal -- what I talked about with one of our wins was I gather they kind of got a little momentum. It's easy to swing the bats when you're up and leading. Especially as you get deeper into the game, you start to relax on offense.

So I think it contributed more to their offense as opposed to us on defense. Chad threw the ball really well, like I said at times. There was a pitch here or there that lacked conviction. That's going to pop up when you throw 75 pitches or so. They did a great job of executing on some of those pitches.

But it definitely impacted the game. There's a chance to throw a blow in the first inning and a couple other times. You don't really know how the game would have changed. But regardless, the narrative still would have been there was moments where we didn't play baseball the way that we need to, the way we're capable of, and also in the fashion that got us to be able to play in this stadium.

Q. In that seventh inning things kind of unraveled. What did you see and specifically what did you see from Sean when he came in?

COACH VITELLO: Sean is rarely right over the heart of the plate. And on two pitches that they executed on, that was the case. So who knows? He might be able to answer things for himself. In my opinion, the guy's asked to do a ton. So every now and then it's not going to work out great for you.

But, again, going back to original answer, I think they had a little momentum getting out of a couple of key situations where they were in danger. And as much as I said that you can't get in your feelings to our guys or you've got to control your emotions, this is a kid's game, and it is a big stage. So emotions and momentum can help you a little bit. And I think that maybe was the cause of them getting to two of our better guys a little bit.

Q. Wanted to ask you specifically about one of those ABs, a guy on third and Liam hits the line drive to second. When Cotier catches that ball, what's the feeling in the dugout, like, it may not be our day type of thing?

COACH VITELLO: I don't think necessarily. There was a time, Cam pointed out entirely where there maybe was a little bit of a deflating feeling. But Max Ferguson, who was probably as locked in as any of our guys today -- incredibly loose, but also in every pitch with his heart and soul. And that's the guy that's coming up.

So, I can't speak for the rest of the team. But my immediate thought was they had him played in the right spot. You make your own luck. So I don't believe it was an unlucky break. We just didn't find a hole in that situation and we had a really good player up the next AB, and he had a great at-bat. They just made a nice play defensively.

Q. When you come into a game like this and the pitching performance that you got from Dallas, what was your impressions of what Virginia was doing to advance the runners, besides getting hits -- that's obvious -but to advance the runners and be aggressive. Was that something that you hoped maybe you guys would do today the base paths?

COACH VITELLO: I think the freedom to do things offensively opens up a little bit as you have a lead, or you kind of call it the pour-it-on approach. When there's a run or two scored and guys can get emotional or down in the field and thoughts can start spiraling a little bit out of control.

I don't know that that was necessarily the case, but it can lead to being able to get a bunt down and surprise somebody or, you know, being able to steal a base. So Pav made a couple of nice throws. It's not like Sean is not good at holding on to runners, but I think what you're alluding to is they were able to steal a couple of bags. But I think that followed getting a little more of a comfortable lead.

This was a night, unlike yesterday, where a two-run lead is kind of like a four-run lead last night because of the environment, the way the ball was carrying and whatnot.

Q. The way that you all bounced back there in Hoover, that one didn't start the way you wanted to either, but you put together a run. Is that something that the guys can kind of draw on from the next 36, 48 hours while they're -- maybe not stewing over this, but thinking they've done it before and they can do it again?

COACH VITELLO: I think so, for sure. It's nice when things go the way it did in the Regional and the Super Regional. But to be honest with you, our brand name is to bounce back and to answer.

So, yeah, there's no need to stew. There's extra time between now and that game. So the time will be right to start doing what you're talking about and prepare to answer back in the fashion that they do and have done, and Hoover is one example.

And the teams here are pretty special, but the teams in our league are downright good, too. So that's an instance they can call on and learn from and basically kind of use the blueprint that happened there. But the blueprint started a long, long time ago. And as much as I probably was a little aggressive with them there at the end of the game, the thing I left out was they're built for this. So that will be up to them as well as the coaching staff to kind of gather up that same approach we had in Hoover.

Q. Is the plan to still go with Blade on Tuesday or is that a discussion that will be made over the next couple of days?

COACH VITELLO: Yeah, he's been prepared to start on Tuesday. We'll get together at practice tomorrow and decide if anything unique needs to be done. But as of now he's been prepared to be that guy regardless of today's outcome.

Q. Obviously not the outcome you wanted today, but you speak on it being that Father's Day. As you make your head coaching debut at the College World Series on Father's Day with your dad just sitting a few rows back behind the dugout, what did that moment mean to you to have your dad here on college baseball's biggest stage?

COACH VITELLO: I think it's special for every kid's dad, and I guess I still consider myself a kid a little bit. Pete Derkay, his dad's around all the time, he had a great day today. All the other guys, too, I mean father figures in their life are around.

So I think the one thing that's nice about the gap between now and Tuesday is there can be some kind of moment where you can relish the fact that they were all, like my dad, able to be here today. Right or wrong, I don't think I'm soulless, but you can't really get caught up in that too much; you've got a job to do preparation-wise and game-wise.

Anyone who has met my dad knows that this evening won't be quite as joyous as it could have been with a win. But that's kind of the nature of competitiveness. And he gets to sit in the stands on Tuesday, too. So I hope I do a little bit better job with our guys. And I hope all the Vol fans, like I said, that went well out of their way -- it's astounding how many people were at our hotel -- get what they deserve and get basically a soulful effort out of our guys.

Wins and losses at this deal, it can be crazy. So not too worried about that. But I like people to be able to see our guys play Vol baseball on Tuesday.