Why did Tony Vitello rant to defend Tennessee baseball success? Maybe he's a mastermind
How to define success? And what are some good vacation destinations in Mexico?
Tony Vitello has answers to these questions. He also has another College World Series team on his hands.
Tennessee’s baseball coach uncorked a lengthy rant after his Vols advanced to the CWS, during which he literally quoted the definition of success from the dictionary.
What had Vitello so worked up?
On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel's Mike Wilson unpack Vitello’s meandering monologue, in which he defended his team's success, shared travel advice, touched on Father's Day and mused about a dead politician who authored a dictionary.
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Here's a closer look:
What did Tony Vitello have caught in his craw?
After Tennessee lost to Evansville on Saturday in Game 2 of an NCAA super regional, a reporter implied that past Tennessee seasons that failed to produce a national championship were unsuccessful.
Vitello disagreed.
TOPPMEYER: Translating Tony Vitello rant on Tennessee baseball success, Father's Day, Mexico vacations
ADAMS: Why Tony Vitello ranks behind only Pat Summitt among best Tennessee Vols coaches I've seen
WILSON: Why Tennessee baseball will − or won't − win the College World Series
The Vols have been one of the nation's best programs the past several years. They've amassed 206 victories (and counting?) these past four seasons. Considering that the program had slipped into irrelevance before Vitello's arrival, it's a remarkable turnaround.
Is that the definition of success? Well, it's pretty darn good, anyway.
If you only define success as winning the national championship, then Tennessee still has that in front of them. The program has never captured the national title.
Was Tony Vitello really that worked up about a reporter's question?
Vitello's a fiery guy, and he certainly seemed pretty passionate about the subject of success after Tennessee (55-12) qualified for the CWS for the third time in the past four seasons.
But, Vitello is also a master of communication. He knows how to motivate his team and send a veiled message to the media.
With his rant, Vitello reaffirmed that he'll always have his team's back. He also subtly turned down the pressure on the Vols by declaring this team a success and reminding reporters that no No. 1 overall seed has won the CWS since 1999.
As Vitello put it, the Vols head Omaha playing with “house money.”
Who is playing in the College World Series?
The eight-team field is comprised entirely of two conferences: the SEC and ACC.
Tennessee's quadrant features three ACC teams: Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia. The Vols' first game will be Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) against FSU (47-15).
In the other quadrant are Kentucky, Florida, Texas A&M and North Carolina State.
S-E-C, S-E-C
Since 2017, five different SEC programs have won a national championship: Florida, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and LSU.
Oregon State is the only other program to win a national title during that stretch.
In 2017, '21 and '23, the CWS finals featured two SEC teams. That could happen again if Tennessee takes care of business on its side of the bracket.
Who's the top threat to Tennessee?
Well, start with the first opponent: Florida State. The Seminoles are led by their ace pitcher, Jamie Arnold (11-3, 2.77 ERA). In the other half of the bracket, Texas A&M and Kentucky are top challengers.
During the regular season, the Vols won their lone game against the Aggies, and they took two-of-three in series against Kentucky and Florida.
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist and a published author. Mike Wilson covers the Vols with award-winning coverage for the News Sentinel. He's authored no books, but likes to read them. You can subscribe to read all their coverage, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: CWS: How Tony Vitello rant to defend Tennessee baseball showed genius
