Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello met with the media following the Vols’ 15-4 run-rule victory over Ole Miss on Sunday to win the series.
Vitello discussed a wide-range of topics, including how LHP Zander Sechrist performed in his first SEC start, why he chose to ride with Sechrist in the series rubber match, Nate Snead’s relief performance, how the team responded after a tough loss Saturday night to win the series and more.
A full transcript of everything Vitello said is below.
Watch Vitello’s full post-game press conference here. Read about Tennessee’s 15-4 win here.
More From RTI: Tennessee Baseball vs. Ole Miss Series Finale LIVE Thread
On what he likes from his team in the bounce back Sunday win:
“Everything that led up to the actual start of the game was just excellent. Dean [Curley] in particular, I know it’s easy to say now because of the stat line and he played strong defense, but he seemed like a guy possessed when he was in the cage earlier warming up. As the team stretched, just a noticeable much more loose environment. I think some of that last weekend was my fault. Just a much more relaxed group with a ton of more determination, focus or whatever they would label it. I don’t know what all went into that. We didn’t have any magic words as coaches. Although, coach [Josh] Elander did a phenomenal job today as he was on both ends of the deal. I know he was complaining about not having a break to go to the restroom. He’s calling pitches and also running the offense at third base. All in all, a good approach by the guys and fortunately the scoreboard kind of showed it.”
On what was different about this game three than last week’s rubber match:
“Yeah, I would say that. More relaxed and emotions were a little more level. There was plenty to get excited about in that game and there were some that didn’t go right, despite the outcome. I think a little less emotional and a little more focused on what’s the next thing we’ve got to get accomplished. I think the biggest thing was it seemed like a more relaxed group and a group that was having fun. Maybe because the sun was up or whatever, but that was something it would be nice if they put it in a bottle and replicate that. It was a really fun day to be at the park around the guys.”
On why he went with Zander Sechrist and how he did:
“Yeah, he’s a great leader and has been throwing the ball better and better every time out. I know he seems super consistent – kind of has that Beam effect. In my opinion and we’ve discussed it as coaches, he continues to get better and evolve a little bit as a pitcher. We felt it was right by him to get the opportunity and who knows. Maybe that could’ve helped Sunday too if we kind of switched some guys around a little bit. He did exactly what he needed to do. I don’t even know if he realizes the value of that first inning going down the way that it did. The guy sitting there in the two-hole, really the whole lineup is dangerous. They got a strong positional group. The guy in the two-hole is sitting there and it’s a big headache. So, for him to get him out the way that he did put an exclamation point on the first inning. We thought he’d go three or four innings for us but we felt like the time was right to go to [Nate] Snead there and it worked out well for us with him throwing the ball the way he did for us.”
On his thoughts about Nate Snead’s performance:
“I think when he gets in a rhythm he is as good as any pitcher we have on our roster and one of the best pitchers in the conference when he’s in that rhythm. We’ve thrown him kind of out there in a mess, or in a difficult situation on paper, every time out. It hasn’t always gone his way there. It usually takes him a little bit to kind of get settled. Today he came in right away and was outstanding. Helped put it to where you can say Zander [Sechrist] had a really good start for us. He had a couple of guys on base that he inherited. I think the start of the whole thing was great.”
On balancing what Nate Snead can do for the team:
“It’s really difficult and a challenge that has kind of been put in front of the pitching staff a little bit. You want as many reliable guys as you can. Over the course of a series, you are just trying to pinpoint when are the critical moments and who is the guy who needs to be in those critical moments. He was in one last week and it didn’t quite go his way, but a sign of a guy who continues to improve is he was knee deep in it today and he was outstanding. There’s availability for other guys to make that progress as well and I’m not sure on Tuesday if w won’t everybody that’s available or who did not pitch in this weekend.”
On the lineup’s depth:
“I think it’s a lineup where you could flip it upside down if you wanted to. Kind of like Mississippi and really Alabama. It’s the nature of our league now with all these older and physical guys, and even the freshmen like Dean [Curley] have a lot of experience and are physical. So, everybody is dangerous, and there’s a good bench to call on, too. I’m hoping for that day where each one of them is 100 percent healthy, but that’s not going to come. That’s not reality. But if we can have it where everybody is pretty much usable, you know, a guy like [Dalton] Bargo, we don’t want to go a weekend where he only gets one at-bat because he is pretty dangerous as well. So, it’s a strength of the team, but I really like how we play defense and run the bases for the most part like we did this weekend. I think defense and baserunning were better than they were last weekend. So, when those scores are tight, that’s something that is going to make a difference for us.”
On Billy Amick having a big day at the plate:
“It was great to just see him smile. Yesterday, a fan said something to me where, I guess I laughed a little bit, but [Cannon] Peebles laughed a ton. Today, Billy [Amick], when he crossed home plate, it’s not in the norm, I haven’t seen it, for him to smile ear-to-ear the way that he did. But I think it’s something that needs to be done. And maybe we need to do a better job as coaches creating that environment. We try to make it rowdy and try to make it fun for them. They put in so much work, but they have to give themselves permission, too, a little bit, to have fun as an individual. As a team, like I said, whatever they talked about, they came out as loose as you could want today without it teetering to the side of being silly or too loose. They certainly were focused on the task at hand and anytime you got a group doing something, there are probably individuals doing it. So, I think him and Peebs (Cannon Peebles) were probably a part of that and need to be like that probably more often.”
On Nate Snead’s growth this season:
“I sometimes lose track of what interview or outlet, who I said it to, but I know I said it once. I don’t think Coach Anderson will ever get credit by the time Nate Snead leaves here and goes on to do his thing in pro ball… I don’t think Coach Anderson will ever get the appropriate amount of credit, and Richard Jackson, too, puts in a lot of time with him. Because he came in as a guy who throws real hard. Everybody knew it was a big arm. But like [Liam] Doyle for Mississippi, both of those kids, if you watched this summer and knew who you were recruiting, you were hoping for exactly what those two guys are right now, but hope is a strong word. It takes a lot of work, and it takes development, and it takes the kid to be determined. He’s had a lot of good people around him helping him, but he’s met them halfway and has done the work, too. He’s developed a ton. And I think that might get lost in the mix a little bit just because he has a good arm. [Max] Scherzer is a maniac worker and has incredible cerebral skills, which is, you know, for a goofball like that, that’s a lot to say. But a lot of people get lost in the fact that he throws hard. Everybody throws hard, or a lot of guys throw hard now. So, it takes more, and Snead is doing that.”
On if Dean’s ‘man possessed’ approach to the series finale is abnormal for a freshman:
“I think so, but I think we’re to the point, too, where it’s their second semester of school. We’ve played a ton of ball. And then two, we’re gifted with guys like Ariel [Antigua] – when he gets his opportunity, he plays the game in a mature way, too. Just saw a little extra activity [out of him]. By Sunday, you could be drained, I don’t care how young you are. It’s an emotional weekend. And these guys are asked to put together a ton of repetitions. So when you see a guy just moving around extra, and then the extra talk in the dugout and in the field, was that of an older guy. Because sometimes a younger guy doesn’t think it’s his place to speak. So, it wasn’t anything crazy. He wasn’t dropping f-bombs or anything, and he wasn’t throwing his bat around or anything. It was just a little extra energy, a little extra motion, and a little extra communication, and, to me, that was a sign that good things were going to happen. It’s easier to say it now that the game is complete, but you could see the signs of that with him and a few others, but he stuck out to me.”
On Christian Moore and Blake Burke chasing history:
“It’s fun to be around those guys for as long as we have. It’s weird now with the turnover, with the draft, a lot of guys are draft-eligible sophomores now, so you may not even get them to that third year. Junior-college recruiting is always going to be a part of every big program, the portal… so, that’s kind of what made our two favorite teams to date – and this one, they’re not a part of that conversation because the year is not over – but the ‘21 and ‘22 group were just a bunch of kids that we had so many days around. And we’ve had a lot of days around those two guys (Moore and Burke). And they do it very differently, but where they both meet in the middle is that they both want to win, and they’re very passionate about it. And they’ve also both had their moments where we have to reel them in for whatever reason, but they’re both very quick to say ‘Yes, sir,’ and act on what you tell them. Maybe we give them too much freedom sometimes, but it’s fun to be around those guys, and that’s what I like most about this. You want to win, but those relationships are pretty valuable, and in this day and age, they’re starting to shrink a little bit. So, we’ll soak those up with two guys as much as possible.
