After one of its worst weekends in the Tony Vitello tenure last week at Missouri, Tennessee baseball bounced back by sweeping Texas A&M at home this weekend.
The Vols completed the sweep by using consistent hitting and a strong bullpen performance to earn a 9-6 victory Sunday afternoon.
Vitello discussed Zane Denton’s two home run day, the Vols’ bounce back weekend and much more. Here’s everything Vitello said.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball Outpaces Texas A&M To Complete The Weekend Sweep
On Zane Denton hitting towards the bottom of the lineup
“A little bit of it was trying to get a message across to a couple of guys that I think they got yesterday. Then today, it was just rolling with… we wanted to have some balance in there, and that’s kind of how it’s set up with some right and left stuff. But I just saw more determination and more attitude. He’s obviously got a good skill set and knows how to play the game, but I think the way he plays when he has a little bit of an edge to him is what fits in here, and it seems to be his best. On top of that, the physical part is, he wasn’t really rushing to the ball, but I think they’re both kinda one in the same. When you have that edge and a little bit of extra confidence or just the right mindset, you’re going to be less likely to go outside of yourself or try to do too much.”
On Drew Beam
“He was good. A couple of defensive plays, if we make them behind him, maybe he’s out there a little bit longer. All along we knew we were blessed to have Halvy (Seth Halvorsen) from the other night, but also he went 40 pitches, so it’s gonna be a short burst. And we wanted to use him and [Andrew] Lindsey and [Camden] Sewell as three closers today in certain spots. I felt that was a swing part of the game. Who knows, his (Drew Beam’s) pitch count was low, he’s always very efficient, maybe he can get into the 8th inning if we leave him in, I don’t know. But in that moment, we just went with Halvy and, fortunately, it worked out. I say to you guys all the time, and I actually said it to the team because we had a little bit of a discussion out there, ‘Practice looks great, lifting looks great, lineup looks great when you win, and when you don’t, you are subject to criticism.’ That’s kinda the way it should be, but it worked out for us in that situation. I thought he threw the ball well, and those starters don’t want to hear it because they’re all very talented, but give us a chance to win the game by the middle of the game, and that’s what all three of those guys did this weekend.”
On Dylan Dreiling stepping up in a pinch hit at-bat
“The presence is pretty good. Sometimes you can see a guy, if he’s speeding through his routine, or it doesn’t even look like he’s breathing, or he overswings, so there’s a presence there that’s a little abnormal for a first-year [player], and really just starting to collect his first few at-bats in the SEC. It’s a high-level skillset, and then he’s making progress, too, just in the way he approaches things, in particular at the plate. So, he’s a good guy to have around, and I think the future is bright for him. Currently as it stands, he can be a really big part of this team. He already has been, and if he continues to improve, he definitely will be if not more.”
On Aaron Combs getting out of the sixth inning, his season to date
“With him and Russell, and I don’t think it was for Fitz(gibbons), but first SEC action you very easily could play chess with yourself mentally like is this the same baseball or is this different because it’s conference play. I don’t think he necessarily did that. He went out there and competed and their hitters were frustrating. They have a good approach. They don’t go away. They seem to have a really good understanding of the strike zone so for him to be able to get out of that was great but he threw strikes, he competed the way he does even when it’s not conference which, again, is reassuring but he’s a guy that’s established himself as someone that’s not afraid to compete, has good stuff and we trust.”
On the offensive production up-and-down the lineup
“It was great. We’ve been searching for that feeling of some balance and then also one guy might do something— I think there’s a couple guys we could pick out in the lineup that just didn’t have their best day at all but some other guys did well. This thing is all about team effort and this week the guys came together as much as they have and that will bleed into things like the lineup or when you’re doing well you hand the ball off to a guy on the mound and he’s going to pitch when you have a runner on first or whatever. It just does. I don’t know why but it will bleed into that and you’ll see some success. For today, if the guys are all kind of rallying around each other and determined to help each other out winning the game then you kind of get a top-to-bottom level of success from the lineup.”
On the importance of this weekend with four series against top five teams coming up
“Very. I didn’t know that until you told me. Trying to have a nice relaxing Sunday from here on out but I know Asheville has, I think the best record they’ve had since we’ve played them. There’s plenty ahead of us to prepare for and there’s also plenty for us to look forward to about making progress. The outfield defense, to me, was the unsung hero today and that’s an area we’ve needed to improve and continue to do so. That’s a real good spot and I think the baserunning has improved as well. A lot of looking forward to how good we can get but I was going to say a little bit of reflection too of you come home from a bad road trip and it’s time to get to work and show that you have some grit to you and to get better in some areas and we did do that so that’s what stuck out to me with what we have this weekend.”
On Jared Dickey catching
“I think he’s good back there now. One ball cut on him kind of awkwardly and then all catchers you see extra movement back there these days trying to steal strikes and all the analytics are kept but I think when he just tries to catch it and throw it and not try to do too much in either category he’s equally as good as most the guys either in our league or across the (country)— I don’t know where you’d balance it out but he’s already a guy we trust. I think a big key for him that I’m telling you and maybe I need to tell him is when he just stays within himself and just tries to catch the thing or throw the thing, it’s good. I’ve seen him try to throw it 100 mph to second base and the whole thing just collapses. When he just flicks it down there like you’re doing in between innings it’s pretty good and certainly defensively I know the pitchers trust him and we do too.”
On Christian Scott’s diving catch in right field
“That was massive. I’m glad he was out there and then also glad he’s in the program still. He’s a good one to have around. We were texting last night about stuff totally irrelevant to baseball, but he’s a kid that is a joy to be around. But on the field, the battle he fought in here early years here is just being focused and being confident and having that kind of level mood and I’ll be danged if he hasn’t — I don’t like to say anyone’s figured anything out because you’re always trying to evolve, but it’s just such a more consistent and pleasant approach is the best way I can say it. Then on top of it he can really run and he’s always been able to defend.”
On the team’s response from the Missouri series
“I thought they responded well. Part of it, too, was in this game, people call it a game of failure which is crazy. Nobody wants to play a game of failure. You want to play a kids game. Put on a uniform, act crazy if you hit the winning hit like we had yesterday or you get mad. You don’t want to throw your glove or anything, but if you strike out you’re frustrated. That’s what kind of game you want it to be and I think just keeping it simple and also having a bit of response to you because getting back to my whole failure rant, you’re going to get knocked down, so it’s important to receive blows the right way and respond the right way and it was a good response week.”
On an update on Kavares Tears (hamstring) and Wyatt Evans (general arm soreness)
“Wyatt, tomorrow, will get on the mound and have a feel there, where he’s at. (Turner) Swistak is another arm that will do that tomorrow on the mound. Then, KT (Tears) just been doing rehab in the training room instead of taking extra swings or running around out there. Just getting that thing where he can come back as quick as possible. I think it’ll be sooner than later, but that’s also one of those things where we don’t want to go two steps forward, one step back.”
