Tony Vitello made a major mistake against Notre Dame and it cost Tennessee a trip to Omaha
Tony Vitello is the reason the Tennessee Vols went 57-9 this season and spent most of the year ranked No. 1. He's also the reason the Vols won't be playing in Omaha this month. Tennessee dropped the deciding game of the Super Regional against Notre Dame 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville, effectively ending the […]
Tony Vitello is the reason the Tennessee Vols went 57-9 this season and spent most of the year ranked No. 1.
He's also the reason the Vols won't be playing in Omaha this month.
Tennessee dropped the deciding game of the Super Regional against Notre Dame 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in Knoxville, effectively ending the Volunteers' season.
The Vols had a 3-1 lead entering the seventh inning. And that's when a decision by Vitello led to a meltdown by Tennessee.
Right-handed pitcher Chase Burns started the game for the Volunteers and gave Tennessee six strong innings. Burns gave up only one run in the first six innings of the game.
Instead of going to the bullpen in the seventh inning, Vitello stuck with Burns.
As soon as Burns came out for the seventh inning, I immediately thought it was a bad idea. Burns only went more than six innings on three occasions in 2021. And only once did he make it through the seventh inning (a win against Ole Miss). The Vols' bullpen has been great. Pulling Burns in that spot should've been an easy call.
Predictably, the Fighting Irish hit Burns hard. Back-to-back home runs gave Notre Dame a 4-3 lead after 7 innings. Notre Dame tacked on three insurance runs in the eighth to thwart any comeback attempt from the Vols.
Vitello should've known that allowing Burns to face Notre Dame's hitters for a third time was a bad idea. Baseball analytics have shown us in recent years that when a starting pitcher faces a lineup for the third time in a game, the opponent's batting average goes up significantly.
What's even worse than the initial decision, though, is that Vitello stuck with Burns after he gave up a ground-rule double and a home run to tie the game. A solo home run by Notre Dame third baseman Jack Brannigan gave the Irish the lead and the momentum. The game was over at that point, the Vols just didn't realize it.
Vitello did a great job all season. He's one of the best coaches in the nation. But even the best coaches make mistakes sometimes. Vitello's mistake just happened to cost Tennessee a trip to the College World Series.
Featured image via USA TODAY Sports
