Tony Vitello has a request for Tennessee Vols baseball fans
The Tennessee Vols' 2023 season hasn't gone as expected. There was always expected to be some regression this season — Tennessee lost a load of talent to the 2022 MLB Draft — but it wasn't supposed to be this bad (bad but UT's recent standards). The Vols are 23-14 overall and 5-10 in conference play. […]
The Tennessee Vols' 2023 season hasn't gone as expected.
There was always expected to be some regression this season — Tennessee lost a load of talent to the 2022 MLB Draft — but it wasn't supposed to be this bad (bad but UT's recent standards).
The Vols are 23-14 overall and 5-10 in conference play. Tennessee is currently riding a four-game losing streak after surprisingly dropping a midweek matchup to Tennessee Tech earlier this week.
Tennessee has the talent to get to Omaha, but for whatever reason they haven't been able to put it all together. And now the pressure is starting to mount as the Vols arrive at the midpoint of conference play.
UT head coach Tony Vitello is well aware of the pressure that the team faces. But he also knows Tennessee has time to turn things around, but that has to start against Vanderbilt this weekend.
"I think the pressure is to play with our best personality and best attitude," said Vitello on Thursday ahead of a three-game series at home against Vandy. "That needs to be defined by our and when I say our I mean, it’s the time of year where they (UT's players) need to decide as much as the coaches. And of course we have to do our job but what’s our best personality and how do we want to approach things, you know what I’m saying?"
"The thing to me that’s exciting if you want to look at league play, if you want to go off where we’re at in the schedule Tuesday wasn’t so good," added Vitello. "But if you want to get excited, get excited about the fact that there’s just as many weekends left in the SEC as we have played."
Vitello knows the series against Vanderbilt is important. And that's why he wants to make sure that fans show up in droves at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend. In fact, he said on Thursday that he's looking for a "rowdy" crowd this weekend.
"Fortunately we start all that off, and by that I mean the second half, here at home and Lindsey Nelson Stadium," said Vitello. "I think there’s a little bit of drizzle for Saturday but otherwise I don’t see any weather that would discourage people from coming out and being rowdy.”
If Tennessee can take two out of three against the Commodores (or sweep them), it could provide the program with the momentum they need to finally get on the right track this season.
