Tony Vitello examined a long, narrow gray plastic board in the Tennessee baseball dugout in early February.

That particular plank could be used for the benches by the dugout railing. Perhaps it will be a different color gray. Maybe those benches will be replaced entirely in a year.

The Vols coach looked at the possibility and felt it, a minuscule detail amid the grand overhaul to turn Lindsey Nelson Stadium into a fitting facility.

“There is a structure,” Vitello said. “There is no longer a vision. It is literally concrete.”

The architect of the best stretch in Tennessee baseball history is a part-time architect these days at the ever-evolving, forward-marching ballpark the Vols call home. There’s construction noise aplenty, boxes of seats lining the concourse, foul balls hurtling toward cranes, and the intangible becoming tangible.

For Vitello, it's about what was, what it took, and what is still to come.

What has changed at Lindsey Nelson Stadium before 2024 season

Vitello walked across the field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium from the right-field line to the left-field line, from minor change to massive renovation.

He started next to three new rows of premium seating along the right-field line, which bring the stands closer to the field and shrink the foul territory. He paced toward a left-field line that is unrecognizable from when he was hired in June 2017.

Vitello used to gaze out his office window and see a parking lot behind picnic tables on top of turf. He now sees a full stadium, an enclosed ballpark.

"You show up every day and you get used to the view out of the window,” Vitello said. “There are more days I have looked out and seen nothing out of that window than something.”

Building and completing the left-field area was the first major step in a multiyear project with a price tag near $100 million — and it has long been a focus for Vitello.

“We needed to get this facility up to speed with the teams that we are trying to beat in this league,” Vitello said.

He viewed the area as a blank canvas and had honed in on the potential in his early seasons at UT.

The left-field porches grew from one deck to three. The left-field line gained temporary seating during the 2021 postseason and a more permanent version for the following two seasons. It’s all permanent now. Concrete has been poured and seats are installed down the line. The deepest corner of left field is a tiered terrace of four-top tables. The upper level of that section is a bar area where fans can stand and watch the game.

Most importantly, it's a complete ballpark that wraps from the right-field foul pole around home plate to the left-field porches. There's no gaps anymore. It is better than what Vitello expected from renderings and it removes the ability of other schools to knock UT for its facility. There's no if, ands or buts about it.

"I think it removes an asterisk and it plops our players down right where they want to be in our country and in our league," Vitello said. "There should not be anything that is a governor on the pace.”

How Wrigley Field, Fenway Park factored into Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovations

The ever-ambitious Vitello had a checklist when he was hired at Tennessee: reach the SEC Tournament, make an NCAA regional and host an NCAA regional. He completed those items in 2019, 2019 and 2021, respectively.

“The more you win, the more you are able to add on to what you have,” Vitello said.

Each achievement breathed life into a sleeping program. The results earned a new turf playing surface and improved player areas at Lindsey Nelson Stadium among the interior updates.

A College World Series berth in 2021 was kindling, a 57-win season in 2022 was lighter fluid, and another trip to Omaha in 2023 was a match to a grander dream. Call it “the ultimate stadium project” as deputy athletics director of championship resources Ryan Alpert does.

The extreme success and Vitello’s push was matched by commitment and drive from athletics director Danny White, who stood ready to invest in baseball — the program and facility — after clearing state processes for brick-and-mortar projects.

Fan demand accelerated so adding capacity was a must. The project will bring the stadium capacity to approximately 7,600, an increase of almost 3,000. UT also sought to add diversity of seating options and facilitate connection between fans and players in an intimate stadium. But adding could not mean subtracting from what makes Lindsey Nelson Stadium unique.

It is not the biggest ballpark nor does it have a large footprint to expand. So UT built in and will build up in before next season, emphasizing the hornet's nest feel that Vitello loves opposing teams to experience.

“We wanted to keep the quaint feel of our park and keep everything the way it is while supplementing it and making it better,” Vitello said.

Tennessee looked at how Boston’s Fenway Park and Chicago’s Wrigley Field — two of the most iconic baseball stadiums — lean into storied histories while including modern elements. They have unique design elements and classic identities. UT also studied modern facilities like Atlanta’s Truist Park. The left-field bar area is a prime example of a borrowed idea from the Braves’ ballpark.

Keeping Lindsey Nelson Stadium’s identity while upgrading and updating became the mission.

“There have been a lot of boxes checked because there has been careful planning and open dialogue,” Vitello said.

What a renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium means to Tony Vitello, Tennessee baseball

Former Vols infielder Andre Lipcius trotted out of the dugout on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Former UT pitcher Garrett Stallings and catcher Connor Pavolony came by soon after Lipcius, the first bonafide star at Tennessee under Vitello and now a member of the Detroit Tigers.

They helped make Tennessee baseball what it has become — and, in turn, what Lindsey Nelson Stadium has become.

“What will touch their heart is they know they literally helped build it,” Vitello said. “Their time here was marked with progress. There were wins on the stat sheet but when you can look at a structure and say, I had a hand in that,’ you come back and you are even more proud.”

This is not the house that Vitello built. It is the house that Pete Derkay, Camden Sewell, Evan Russell, Redmond Walsh and many more built. They played in front of tiny crowds then created a program that has postseason street parties outside the stadium and now a facility that fits their success.

Vitello sold a dream and a possibility then. He avoided showing recruits the left-field section and instead drew attention to player development areas, where money was poured in and continues to be. He recruited and pitched stadium renderings and ideas to recruits for a stretch without set dates and timelines.

Recruits bought into meteoric on-field results and the coming facility.

The 2023 class — the current freshmen — got to see it all come together. The 2024 class, which Vitello heralds as maybe “the most exciting class in Tennessee baseball history,” is following.

“These kids are being put in a position to succeed,” Vitello said. “I just want to stay true to that and stay true to my roots. When we had only a few resources, we treated it with delicate hands and appreciation.

“We need to stay true to that even though the fruits of so many players’ labor has made it much more abundant.”

The changes will keep coming and the vision will keep growing. The lone tower for media will be ripped out and a new tower will be built with premium seating, suites and all the bells and whistles befitting of an SEC ballpark. There’s plans for a stellar mezzanine level with fan areas for standing-room only, widened concourses and added concessions stands.

There’s a melting pot of fan-focused improvements and player-driven upgrades. After all, the players succeeded, fans generously rallied around the program and now there is a love affair between the two that necessitated much of the new elements of Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Vitello is in the middle of that, the success and the adoration swirling around the Vols leader.

“The best thing is the construction doesn’t stop here — it will pick back up,” Vitello said.

For now, when Vitello stands in the dugout for the first home game this season and looks toward the batter's box, he will see a new backdrop. It's not a vision anymore. It's real.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tony Vitello sees Lindsey Nelson Stadium changes for Tennessee baseball