Tony Vitello makes heartfelt statement after Tennessee's loss to LSU
And just like that, the Tennessee Vols' 2023 season is over. Tennessee's 5-0 loss to LSU on Tuesday night ended the Vols' College World Series run. And while it's certainly not how Tennessee wanted their trip to Omaha to end, there's no reason for UT's players to hang their heads. The Vols' 2023 season got […]
And just like that, the Tennessee Vols' 2023 season is over.
Tennessee's 5-0 loss to LSU on Tuesday night ended the Vols' College World Series run.
And while it's certainly not how Tennessee wanted their trip to Omaha to end, there's no reason for UT's players to hang their heads.
The Vols' 2023 season got off to a rough start and at one point, it felt like Tennessee might miss out on the NCAA Tournament.
But the team eventually found their way and they made a memorable run to the College World Series (no one will ever forget the Vols' intense 14 inning win against Clemson during regional play).
After Tennessee's loss to LSU on Tuesday, Vols head coach Tony Vitello took a moment to tell reporters how he'll remember the 2023 UT baseball team.
"We didn’t play very well tonight, LSU did," said Vitello after the loss to the Tigers. "Both teams made mistakes but they capitalized. So ultimately that’s on my shoulders, whether it’s in the middle of the game or pre-game for our guys to play better."
"But this thing’s already over with, and in my mind in the past," added Vitello. "A game I’ll choose to remember this team by was yesterday (the win against Stanford). It was the last great moment we had together."
"And it was also a game that was very representative of how the season went. Started out slow. A lot of struggles in there, a lot of frustration. But guys overcoming that and working together, coming together to make sure we have success. And that’s what occurred. So that’s what I’ll remember it by."
Nothing is going to make the players on Tennessee's roster or Vitello feel good about losing to LSU and heading back to Knoxville a few days early. But the program should be proud of what it accomplished. Winning a College World Series game isn't the goal, but it's still a feat that very few college baseball players ever get to accomplish.
Tennessee's baseball program is in a great place moving forward. I think it's safe to call Vitello an elite baseball coach at this point. Sure, he hasn't won it all yet, and who knows if he ever will, but taking a program to Omaha in two out of the last three years (this year he did it with essentially an entirely new position player lineup) and winning an SEC Tournament is about as much as you can ask for from a college baseball coach.
There's no secret recipe when it comes to winning it all — sometimes you just need a little luck on your side and the Vols didn't have that luck this week.
But fans shouldn't view this as a missed opportunity. Tennessee will be back to the College World Series plenty in the coming years.
LSU’s Dylan Crews makes strong statement about Tennessee RHP Drew Beam
The Tennessee Vols were eliminated from the College World Series on Tuesday night by the LSU Tigers
Featured image via Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
