Tony Vitello's comments about Tennessee football point to future success for the Vols
Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello is all about the vibe. Vitello, who just led the Volunteers to an SEC record 11th straight conference win to open the season, understands that the right vibe can make or break a program — regardless of talent. The energy surrounding Tennessee baseball right now couldn't be better. The […]
Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello is all about the vibe.
Vitello, who just led the Volunteers to an SEC record 11th straight conference win to open the season, understands that the right vibe can make or break a program — regardless of talent.
The energy surrounding Tennessee baseball right now couldn't be better. The Vols are playing at a high level and they're having a lot of fun doing it. Vitello allows the players to let their personalities shine, which has turned Tennessee into the most exciting baseball team in the country.
Vitello sees that same vibe with the Vols' football program.
"Every now and then, I'll sneak over to their (football) practices," said Vitello after the Vols' win over Missouri on Saturday. "It's kind of a cool vibe that’s going on over there right now. I wish I could jump in the mix every now and then and hang out with those guys…it was fun to hang out with him (UT football coach Josh Heupel) for a few minutes in the dugout."
"They've always got a DJ going on," added Vitello. "I mean, our manager here shouldn't take offense, he’s good with the music, too. But they kind of, you know, when you walk over to that building….something over there just kind of feels like there's a lot of positive vibes, and everyone's upbeat. And that's Step One to doing things that you want to do on the battlefield."
Vitello has done an incredible job of building a great culture for the Tennessee baseball team. The fact he's praising the energy he seems coming from the football team is a good sign for the Vols moving forward.
One of the hardest things to do in sports is to build a culture that's fun and also hard-working. Vitello has managed to do that. And it sounds like Heupel has, too.
When that kind of culture is present, special things can happen for a program. We're seeing it with the Vols baseball team right now.
Maybe we'll see it from Tennessee's football team this fall as well.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
