How college baseball is trying to kill the Vols' fun with new rule proposal
The Tennessee Vols were the most talked about college baseball team in the nation this past season for two reasons — they won a lot of games and they had a lot of fun while doing it. Tennessee, under the leadership of head coach Tony Vitello, has displayed plenty of swagger over the last couple […]
The Tennessee Vols were the most talked about college baseball team in the nation this past season for two reasons — they won a lot of games and they had a lot of fun while doing it.
Tennessee, under the leadership of head coach Tony Vitello, has displayed plenty of swagger over the last couple of seasons.
The Vols play hard for Vitello and as a result, he lets the team have fun. Whether it's a bat flip or a prop after a home run, Vitello lets his players show their personality as long as they're showing up on the field.
The NCAA, however, apparently isn't a fan of Tennessee's shenanigans.
Several new rules proposals were made this week by the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and one of those proposals states that celebratory props should not be allowed outside of the dugout in 2023.
"Starting with the 2023 season, celebratory props would not be allowed outside the dugout," states the proposal.
This means the Vols could still use their fur coat and/or the pink "daddy hat" (or whatever they come up with next season), but it would have to be confined to the dugout (which takes a bit of the fun out of it).
It certainly feels like this rule is directed right at Tennessee. The Vols, of course, aren't the first team to use props on the field, but their usage was a bit "louder" than most last year. And for whatever reason, the NCAA apparently hates to see college athletes having fun.
Ultimately, this new rule wouldn't impact how Tennessee plays the game. But it would certainly force them to tame their celebrations a bit. It's simply a minor inconvenience that the players and coaches will have to deal with.
The proposal, by the way, doesn't say what the penalty for violating the rule would be.
I'd bet, however, that Tennessee finds out the hard way in 2023.
And I'd also wager that Vols fans will be all for Tennessee showing up the NCAA — even if it comes with some repercussions.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
