Calling Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello a fiery competitor is an understatement and it doesn’t take long to monitor Tennessee’s dugout and figure that out.
“I like competion. It’s my favorite and baseball is my second favorite,” Vitello said Thursday.
That has made the four-game suspension that the fifth-year head coach is in the midst of extremely challenging.
“Full disclosure, if that happens in a game, there is a ton of adrenaline. It is not as bad,” Vitello said of not being with his team in games. “The second game is awful. The way we played, it kind of got to be a nice thing. Tuesday was miserable. I think miserable goes further down the line than awful. I am not looking for sympathy. It is an automatic penalty. That is what it is and that is deserved and what I need to. But it ain’t fun. It is so different.”
So what does game day look like for the suspended head coach?
Vitello isn’t allowed in the facility during the game but is allowed to coach and be around his team. The means the 43-year old still runs practice to prepare his team and can have meetings the day of the game.
“We have a routine we will do Friday which I will be able to participate in which is nice,” Vitello said. “Our coaches’ meetings about the games are usually pretty short but they have lengthened. I don’t know if they are listening to me but that allows me to get off my chest my contribution and what I feel has gone into the deal.”
The Vols were at home while Vitello served the first two games of his suspension, allowing the head coach to lean on Tennessee’s technology to watch the game on a live stream.
“When it is a home game, I get hooked up with our technology guys and can get a live feed,” Vitello said. “At least you feel like you are in a VIP seat or getting a live feed. We go over all that stuff in a game ahead of time. It is nice to have a plan but 80% of the time, plan A ain’t going to work. Being in the live game is so different. The one good thing that has come out of this is a lot of kudos and respect have been created to coach Elander. You have to act quick on your feet. You don’t get to watch it on TV with your feet up relaxed. The game speeds up on you as as a coach in every sport. Those guys have handled it well because not only have we won but we have been able to involve a lot of players, which I always love and we have played well not just won.”
Third base umpire Jeffrey Macias ejected Tennessee pitching coach Frank Anderson as well as Vitello in Saturday’s win over Alabama. The NCAA eventually handed Anderson a one-game suspension.
So did Vitello and Anderson watch the game together or communicate during the game?
“I tried to touch base with him on Saturday about are you watching and what do you think is going to happen and he never responded,” Vitello said. “We did talk on the phone immediately after the game trying to see what we were going to round up the wagons and do. It is too hard for him so he kind of completely removes himself away from the whole deal.”
The second half of Vitello’s suspension creates a new challenge for the fifth-year head coach. Tennessee heads to Gainesville for a three-game series with rival Florida.
Vitello is suspended the first two games of the series and won’t have access to the live feed technology at Florida Ballpark like he does at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
That presents Vitello with a conundrum many fans can relate too— the delayed WatchESPN stream.
“I will probably see the guys on the way to the game and that will be it,” Vitello said. “I don’t know that I will do it, but I would like to hear the park, but if you do that it will be mistimed. If you are somewhere on campus, which I think their field is off-campus so that won’t really work either. You do the WatchESPN and you are a minute behind. That will drive you crazy. We have gotten to this point. The penalty is what it is and probably deserving. Knock those two games and I cannot look forward to Sunday anymore than I normally do. Sunday is a big day as is.”
Tennessee and Florida will open up its weekend series at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday night. The whole series will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
