Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is still operating in his normal offseason scheduling by attacking the transfer portal and managing the roster ahead of next season.
But for the first time in his career, he’s doing it as a National Champion head coach.
It’s just been 18 days since the Vols took Game 3 of the Men’s College World Series finals to deliver Tennessee its first college baseball title, but Vitello and the team have been hitting the ground running. Tennessee hosted a championship parade the day after the victory and have brought in several high-quality transfer players in the days since. While some of the Vols players have found new homes through the portal, others are gearing up to be drafted in next week’s 2024 MLB Draft.
As for Vitello, though, there’s not too much time for rest and relaxation. As the Tennessee coach said on Thursday in an interview with Fox Sports Knoxville’s The Drive with Russell Smith, offseason tasks and checklist items have “consumed” the staff as the days go by. Vitello has found some time for reflection though and discussed that during the interview.
“I think, for now, it’s just whatever the next task is has kind of consumed us,” Vitello said. “But reflecting on it, the major things that stick out was the University was so hungry for a championship. It was so cool to be around my parents. Frank was really stressing me out. He wanted to win another one so bad so I’m glad that happened.”
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Once Tennessee gets everything straightened out with the draft’s impact on the roster and more management tasks throughout the offseason, the Vols will turn their attention to defending their first and only National Championship. The Men’s College World Series finals haven’t seen a team in consecutive years since Virginia and Vanderbilt both did it during the 2014 and 2015 MCWS finals. Vanderbilt did go to the finals in 2019 and 2021 but the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to COVID.
Ray Tanner’s South Carolina Gamecocks are the last program to repeat as championships during the 2010 and 2011 seasons with a runner-up finish in 2012 as well.
Tennessee is expecting a significant amount of roster turnover on the diamond but are replacing key 2024 pieces with talented rotational players from last season, rising young players, and a handful of impactful transfers.
Tennessee’s not supposed to make it back to the MCWS Finals next season, and they certainly aren’t supposed to win. That’s what history says, at least. But Tony Vitello has vivid recent memories of shattering seemingly set-in-stone expectations last spring and is keeping that mentality through the offseason.
“And then kind of more direct about your question is, let’s just be honest, the track record hasn’t been great in the last four years of the teams – maybe four out of five – the team that wins it, how the next year goes,” Vitello said in response to the recent history of MCWS championships failing to reach the game again. “And they’re separate cases. Every program is different and every year is different. But I think if you don’t have an edge to you this year, you’re kind of missing the boat. First of all, lot of the guys that’ll play are guys that were in the dugout when that last out was made or watching on TV. And then the other thing is there is that extra incentive of, hey you can’t do it. Kind of like how people said the No. 1 seed couldn’t win or you couldn’t win the SEC Tournament and have success in the postseason. There’s plenty of motivation and plenty of reason to have a chip on your shoulder next year.”
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To catch Tony Vitello’s full interview on The Drive, click here.
🎧Tony Vitello joined The Drive earlier today and discussed what’s next for his program after winning the national championship ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KUAVp8hO7f
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) July 11, 2024
