The 2023 Tennessee baseball season was one of ups and downs, filled with its fair share of drama. The 2024 squad — which punched its trip to Omaha on Sunday — was far from that.
Head coach Tony Vitello stated several times during the 2024 season how much he loved the team. There was rarely a day that went by where Vitello didn’t mention how much he enjoys going into work everyday. Creating a roster of that caliber was part of the goal of a tireless offseason and 2023 summer, following an early College World Series exit.
In a nearly seven-minute opening statement from Vitello following the win, he described what exactly “success” meant to him. Part of the rationale, for Vitello, was getting extra time with the current roster that he loves so much.
Kavares Tears (21) celebrates a Knoxville Super Regional victory over Evansville at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Sunday, June 9, 2024.
“If you’re talking about success for this team, the one thing I stated after last season, because I’m in a bathroom crying with just a lot of emotions after we’re able to beat Clemson last year, was to show up at work every day and get out of my car excited,” Vitello said. “To have fun and to be around people that want to be here and be in an environment that you’re excited to get to every day. 100% success.
“Omaha is real fun to go to. If you don’t play that well, it ain’t that fun. But I don’t really give a damn to be honest with you. As a matter of fact, we kind of can pick up where Evansville left off. We’re not supposed to win because the No. 1 never wins. So house money. I’m going to consider this even more of a success this year, but definitely because of that group in particular being the way they are.”
The Vols have at least two more games left this season as they head to the College World Series. A few more wins could extend that run even further.
READ MORE: How Zander Sechrist sent Tennessee baseball back to Men’s College World Series
Vitello has talked about the unique makeup of the 2024 roster. It’s a team that allows him to look forward to going to work everyday.
The perspective of how to define success came through in a conversation with some of Vitello’s old friends at Arkansas. Vitello’s mind was racing, and he reached out to some of those friends heading into the game.
Sure, you want to win in the NCAA Super Regional for a chance to compete for a College World Series title. But, there is more that you don’t want to lose.
“The thing you don’t want to lose is another day with the guys, or another trip with the guys, or another bus trip or jumping on a plane, or an hour delay where Zander (Sechrist) does something goofy,” Vitello said. “So it’s the type of team, you don’t want to be robbed of that extra day, or extra moment, or extra hour with your guys. And fortunately this will mean that we get to press on and do that.”
Tennessee has become a consistent presence in Omaha — making the College World Series three of the past four seasons. The 2024 trip will be just the seventh trip in program history.
The definition of “success” includes the trips to Omaha for Vitello, but it also includes a lot more. The seventh-year head coach made that clear on Sunday after winning the Knoxville Super Regional.
“That’s what success is defined by me,” Vitello said. “I get to do it the way I want to do it. You guys get to do it the way that you want to do it. So at the end of the day, success for me is, Omaha will be where Father’s Day is for me.
