Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello met with the media in Columbia, South Carolina following the Vols 11-7 series-opening win over the Gamecocks. Vitello shared his thoughts on Dalton Bargo’s big day, Jay Abernathy’s progress as a hitter and the two-out hitting approach from his offense.
Everything Vitello said following the win is below.
On the two-out hitting approach at the plate…
“I think that was a byproduct of guys competing. It’s a cliche thing, but grinding out at-bats. Some of them occurred with two outs, but you are seeing a guy who has really good stuff. He did jump ahead of a lot of hitters early in the game. He was throwing strikes, but our guys kind of wore him down a little and were able to capitalize on some mistakes. Some of those two out hits were guys just flicking the ball around the park. Jay Abernathy’s at-bat kind of comes to mind. The guys did it as a group and got us out to a lead. Of course, no lead is safe against the team we are playing.”
On Dalton Bargo’s play of late and taking advantage of opportunities…
“I think he has always had the ability to hit. He started out as a freshman in the middle of the order. The ability and the swing are there. The mindset, too. Sometimes your strengths can be a weakness and his mindset is that of one that is an intense competitor. Sometimes he can try and do too much and you see a big swing in a situation where you had a pitch to hit. As of late, he just looks comfortable in his own skin and his swing is a lot more calm. It’s ironic that the ball is jumping off hotter with less effort but that is kind of the name of the game. It’s unfortunate, because that’s not easy to do. But as he has matured, and he’s gotten reps, I think he’s understood that and he is executing it well.”
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On Dalton Bargo’s strides last season that set him up for success this season:
“I think he learned to just balance the juggling act with the positions that he plays, where he might be in the lineup, what the situation is in the game – whereas a kid from the midwest that maybe doesn’t have as many reps, even though he is from Omaha [would] just get in there and wail away. These games, as you saw, they can flip on a dime. [We] might need you to hit with two strikes, he might be a guy that is at the top of the order or [the] bottom, so he’s become very versatile is the ultimate answer. And again, I think part of that is just through maturity and experience and also, he’s an observer of the game. He pays attention to what is going on, and he’s made adjustments in a lot of different areas.”
On Jay Abernathy’s progress as a hitter:
“There is progress, but I don’t want him to hear this, but he’s also what he was in the fall. He was very impressive in the fall in a lot of areas. He just needed to claim a spot defensively, and I do think he can play shortstop one day, needs more reps, but really any spot we put him, he was aggressive about getting better. He’s so much better in left field and makes a very big catch there at the end of the game. But as far as being a base-running threat and a guy at the plate, he’s kind of been that guy since the fall. Now, as you start to see these crazy arms we get in the SEC, of course you are going to get better, get more experienced, get a little more comfortable overall – maybe not comfortable in the box.
“And then the fact he has added the bunt to his repertoire is phenomenal. In high school, these kids do so much showcase ball, you’d think he’s a great bunter because he runs, but it’s different these days, So, he’s had to hone in the defensive part, the bunting part and some other little things, but he’s a gifted kid that’s a great kid, and it’s hard not to like that one.”
