Tennessee baseball managed its Knoxville Regional game with a 10-6 win over Cincinnati in Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Afterward, Vols head coach Tony Vitello and players Marcus Phillips and Cannon Peebles met with the media.
Here's what they said.
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HC - Tony Vitello
Opening Statement…
“It's nice to have donors, alumni, fans and administration that are very supportive of our team. I recycled a message nonstop about this weekend: embrace the chaos, because it is that time of year. I don't know that this game was more chaotic than the one before us, but both were kind of what you'd expect—all hands on deck, as it relates to pitchers and a lot of good swings out of all four teams. (We’re) fortunate at the end of the day to be one of the teams that was able to win.”
On Marcus Phillips’ last three outings…
"I think (he’s) just improved. Progress has been his M.O. since he's been here. Part of it is due to hard work and the coaches working with him, but there's also a pretty good combination he's working with of being blessed with a lot of talent and yet, especially last year and the year before, so far away from being as good as he can be. I've said it reluctantly that his best days in baseball are a long way from here. That'll be good for pro ball stuff, but for now, it's just nice each time he goes out you don't always get the byproduct or score that you want, or the scoreboard shows it, but there's been significant progress. That is an area he's improving at and has improved at and has made progress.”
On Vitello’s reaction to Dean Curley and Gavin Kilen’s offensive performances tonight…
“Dean's (Curley) is the one that sticks out. He's freed himself up to play, and he's done very well defensively. He's done well on the bases, and the at-bats have been really good. To be honest with you, it's kind of obnoxious. Like any kid you've ever recruited, if you're a recruiting coordinator, (the) guy’s hitting the ball hard but right at people. That's probably an overused statement as a hitter, but he's hit a lot of balls hard that he hasn't gotten credit for in recent weeks. He’s also doing it so often that he is getting some credit. It's great to see. Gavin (Kilen) is kind of this year's Billy (Amick). Billy was in such a great groove, he had the appendicitis pop up, and it takes him out of his rhythm. I think Billy had a homer in the first game back, but at the same time, it did take him a couple weeks to get back into a groove. Gavin has been very accepting of his new role at shortstop. He has played well there. The base-running has been special out of Gavin, and I think he's most known because he can hit.”
On Vitello’s decision to start Marcus Phillips on the mound…
“I'm just thinking through it. As you said, it's been a year of a lot of decisions to make. There's a lot of 50/50, this could work or that could work, but as it relates to the last four or five weeks of pitching—I don't say it arrogantly, because I definitely don't have all the answers—but as coaches putting our collective heads together, there was no doubt at all of the vision we had. After the Auburn series, let's not ask too much of Liam (Doyle). We knew the tournament might require somebody to come around quick, but we like the leftyrighty combo, and it's gone well for us. I'll take either guy in either situation. There have been weekends where one is better than the other, or one is our best guy out of the two, but it's a great one-two punch. (We’re) not looking to go with strategy other than we didn't want to wear Liam (Doyle) out with the blister at the time. He was asked to do a lot in a short amount of time with Auburn, with the relief appearance.”
On the team’s vibe this weekend…
“The vibe the whole year has been good. It's been like Marcus (Phillips) as an athlete, progressing and pushing forward all year long, starting with meetings in the fall. At the same time, if I'm going to be critical coach guy, it hasn't been as good as it can be this weekend. It’s called a team sport for a reason. You need every single guy to enjoy this. There have been some guys either trying to do too much or frustrated because they're not perfect. It's been great, but I think it can be even better. This is such a special deal. Marcus (Phillips) mentioned the crowd. To play at home makes it a little bit sweeter but overall, just to be involved in this thing is crazy. I never got to do it (as a player). I'm jealous. We just need to enjoy it. I think it's been good, but it can get even better.”
RHP - Marcus Phillips
On how rewarding it was to pick off Kerrington Cross in the fifth inning…
“It was rewarding, for sure. Every out is important; I've been working on it a little bit every week. It's something that I never really put a lot of attention toward, but as I've been working on it, I feel like I've been making some pretty good progress on it, and it's been showing.”
On the challenge of dealing with baserunners while on the mound…
“It didn't feel like there was a lot of people taking off earlier in the year, and once we got to SEC play, everybody in this league wants to win. They find ways, different ways to attack hitters and pitchers and stuff like that. So, the learning process is every day you can learn something new, whether it's on the mound or in catch play or through bullpens, which is what helped me a lot, just working on a quicker step to home plate and progressing week-by-week.”
On when he knew he would be able to put up a performance like tonight’s...
“Man, I've always been a baller. I like to play. I like to be around the game. I've been around it my whole life. So, always being around the field and wanting to progress in my abilities, that's telling for how sharp my game could possibly be. I was excited to go tonight. We had a good crowd, and it was a fun one.”
C - Cannon Peebles
On what was working for him and Marcus Phillips today…
“What I see out there is he's very poised. I think it helps our team relax a little bit on defense. He was just out there for the next task. If something didn't go his way, like I said, he's very poised, and he can move on very quickly and focus on getting the next job done. That’s been the basis of this team, and it worked tonight.
On the return of the “Drew Gilbert celebration” and how that changed the vibe of the team…
“Well, it popped up on my phone one day, and I thought it was cool. It's something that I think a lot of the young guys on this team, even everybody, grew up watching. I hadn't had a double in a while, so for me I was like the next double I get, I might just pull it out if I feel like it, and then I just ended up doing it. Luckily, the team said that they loved it, so I was just like, I might as well keep it going."
On how he was able to turn around his offensive productivity…
“I always knew, because if you don't, you know it probably won't happen. You always have to believe in yourself no matter what the circumstances are. Simply put, I always knew it I felt like.”
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