It was hard for Tony Vitello to put into words the feeling of punching a ticket to Omaha following Tennessee's 15-6 thrashing of LSU on Sunday afternoon to sweep the Knoxville Super Regional.
The win marked No. 50 on the season, the first time the program has won that many games since 1995 and for just the third time ever. But more importantly, the win sends the Vols to the College World Series for the first time since 2005.
"We'll be dancing in the streets like crazy tonight," Vitello told the media following the game. "Heck of a day for Vol Nation today. Broncos fans have got to be happy because we got Peyton Manning saying Omaha again. So, these guys are as excited as you can imagine."
Tennessee made quick work of LSU in the final game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in 2021.
Jake Rucker ignited the show with a two-run home run in the first inning to get the Vols on the board. It was the first of six homers UT would hit on the day, as it set a new program single-record for home runs in an NCAA Tournament game.
Rucker hit two homers on the day, adding a solo shot in the third inning. Then, Connor Pavolony hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Drew Gilbert hit a solo shot in the fifth and Jordan Beck also hit one in the fifth, a three-run homer to make it 9-2. Evan Russell put a punctuation on the win with a two-run home run in the eighth.
"I think our kids showed up with the right mentality today," Vitello said. "They were certainly focused, but they were also relaxed... I don't think you want to ever predict you're putting up a touchdown or anything like that, but you saw a looseness there that made you more comfortable."
Freshman right-hander Blade Tidwell made quick work of the Tigers on the mound while the Vols' offense rallied for 15 runs on 12 hits.
Tidwell earned his 10th win of the season, joining Chad Dallas (11) as the second Vol this season to earn double-digit wins. It marks the third time in program history and first time since 2005 that the Vols have two pitchers with 10 or more wins apiece.
LSU managed six runs on seven hits against Tidwell, but most of that damage came when the game was well out of reach. A hitter-friendly Lindsey Nelson did Tidwell no favors, either.
"You’ve got to be really tough," Vitello said of Tennessee pitchers pitching at home. "Frank (Anderson) has coached pitchers in places like Stillwater and Lubbock where the ball can absolutely fly with the wind. At the end of the day, that's our head baseball coach. I'm kind of the head coach of a lot of other things.
"I mean, the guy… (Frank Anderson’s) resume is ridiculous. I said when I got hired, he's kind of notorious if you follow college baseball for being the guy that, when a head coach is in trouble or in hot water, he comes and saves the day and reverses that into a true 180. I figured before I ever get in trouble, might as well just hire him right off the bat.”
Injury-free Dogpile
The most rewarding part of Sunday for Vitello was watching his players celebrate.
Rucker snagged a line drive at third in the bottom of the ninth for the final out of the game and the Knoxville Super Regional to send LSU packing. Pandemonium ensued.
"There wasn't a lot of conscious thought at the time," Vitello said. "It was a great feeling and then I wanted to see the kids celebrate a little bit. Usually it's a quick handshake, and then you want to be respectful of the other team and that certainly is the case today. I made sure to watch for a little bit, and see these guys, the smiles on their faces.
"There has been a lot of days here where they're enjoying their work, but it ain't easy. It's not everything to smile about. So, I’ll enjoy that vision, and it will never leave my head.”
Redmond Walsh relieved Camden Sewell with runners on first and second with one out in the ninth. Walsh promptly got a ground ball to first and a strikeout to end the game as he as often done throughout his career.
"I really wanted Redmond to have success there and come in and get the job done," Vitello said of the lefty reliever from nearby Alcoa High School. "And I could not be happier that the guy on the mound at the very end was Redmond Walsh. Small in stature, enormous in heart, and it kind of represents what we got going on in our locker room and in our dugout."
Walsh isn't the biggest of people. At 5-foot-10, 170-pounds, being at the bottom of a celebratory dogpile isn't an ideal situation.
Luckily, everybody made it out of the celebration — well, for the most part.
“There was a knee injury later on in the locker room, but all in all I think everybody came out okay," Vitello said. "First of all, Cameron (Sewell) was out there. His nickname is “Bones,” and if he finishes that, I'm saying, ‘just don't hurt this guy by jumping on him.’ We bring in Redmond Walsh, who I don't know who's winning in a UFC fight between those two, but I don't think anyone's going to pay-per-view for that one.
"Fortunately, everybody's healthy, and the celebration was what it should be. It’ll be a great feeling for these guys for quite a while."
Why this team?
Vitello is taking his first team to Omaha in just his fourth year on the job.
And really, it should be for the second time during his tenure. Last year's team was well on its way to Omaha in just year three and it would have marked back-to-back years in which the Vols punched their ticket after going 16 years without doing so.
Sure, there's no guarantee that last year's team would have made it all the way, but good luck telling Vitello or any of the players that. And regardless, that team helped form this year's team in what it has become.
"It's been a grind," Vitello said. "There's some guys on our club with scars from a lot of tough losses and a lot of bitter pills to swallow. So, when personal success doesn't come, I think these guys are able to forge on. And they did so in a fashion that found a way to win some games ugly early in the year and put the personal deal behind them where, maybe they weren't getting theirs or they weren't living up to other people's expectations. And all that kind of led them in the right direction.”
"You’ve got 30 guys in the locker room that would do anything for each other," Evan Russell added. "This is a family. I've got a pretty close family back home, but this is a family. I don't know if it gets closer than this. We spend hours together, days together, doing some hard work. To see it all pay off on the field and to see a program that we're building, to see a program that's here to stay for a long time, it's a pretty exciting deal."
A Big Orange Celebration
Lindsey Nelson Stadium, both inside and outside, was one huge party over the weekend.
Tennessee fans turned up and showed out. Inside, the stadium was clad in orange and rowdy enough to drown out any LSU cheers. Outside, more orange turning the scene on campus into an even greater spectacle.
Vitello's bunch delivered on the field as they have all year, while Vol fans delivered once again by creating yet another electric atmosphere for a team they've fallen in love with.
"Any Vol fans who tune in, gas up the car — we need you there," Vitello said. "The teams that have success there, like the team we just beat, they bring a whole bunch of people. This is a special thing.
"Vol Nation has been a big part of us getting there. The fan support today and other days, I hope people can make the trip. It's a fun, fun deal, and they do it right up there.”
On to Omaha
As Russell was quick to point out in his post-game comments, Tennessee "still has a lot of work."
Tennessee will play its first game of the 2021 College World Series this Sunday as it seeks out five wins in Omaha in an effort to claim the program's first National Championship.
The Vols will play the winner of Monday's elimination game between Virginia and Dallas Baptist in the Columbia Super Regional. The NCAA has not yet released the schedule for the College World Series.
Box Score:
Other Tidbits:
- The Vols' trip to Omaha for the College World Series marks just the fifth time in program history and first time since 2005.
- Tennessee's win over LSU gives UT 50 wins on the season—just the third time in program history that Tennessee has reached that plateau and first time since 1995.
- Tennessee's 15-run output stands as its most ever in a super regional game.
- The Vols' NCAA Tournament program record six home runs came from five different players, as Jake Rucker, Connor Pavolony, Drew Gilbert, Jordan Beck and Evan Russell went deep.
- Between the teams' three-game regular season series and this weekend's Super Regional, Tennessee went 5-0 against LSU this season. It's just the fifth time in program history that the Vols have defeated the same team five times in one season and the first time since 1984 that LSU has lost to the same team five times in one season.
- With Chad Dallas (11) and Blade Tidwell (10) having double-digit wins on the season, it marks the third time in program history and first time since 2005 that the Vols have two pitchers with 10 or more wins apiece. In 2005, Luke Hochevar (15) and James Adkins (10) both reached double-digit wins, while in 1995, R.A. Dickey (14) and Ryan Meyers (10) accomplished the feat.
Post Game Interviews:
