News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Upper Cumberland feeling the buzz of victory Tuesday as fans celebrate the Vols first baseball national championship.
The Vols beat Texas A&M 6-5 Monday night at Omaha, the fifth different SEC team to win the title in the last five seasons. Football Season Ticket Holder Jeremy Tollison said the win a culmination of four plus years of work.
“The team in 2022 was good enough to win but didn’t make the plays at the right time,” Tollison said. “So, at the end of the day I think it’s a culmination of three or four years building and then the ball just kind bounces their way and it happens.”
Dustin Mitchell said the Vols’ tournament run, a chance to create life-long memories with his son.
“For me I just started watching baseball a little closer because I have a five-year-old that’s playing tee-ball,” Mitchell said. “So, the Tennessee program getting where it’s at now in these playoffs is trying to rekindle the whole baseball spirit for me having a great team like Tennessee get up there and preform like they did.”
Head coach Tony Vitello took over the program in 2017. The program has reached five regionals since and four Super Regionals. Algood’s Charles West has been a Vols fan for over 50 years. He said he has never seen a coach connect with a team or the community like Vitello has.
“He gets the players attention, they respect him,” West said. “He’s a fiery coach and they listen to him. Maybe that’s why he’s a success.”
“I just love the energy he brings to the program and how he’s all about the fanbase and how he’s about bringing that hometown feel to it,” Putnam County native Seth Parker said.
Former high school and college baseball player Jeremy Hamm said he would enjoy playing for Vitello.
“I love him,” Hamm said. “He brings the energy and he gets the team ready. If you’ve seen the game last night after we won, him just throwing ice everywhere, he loves it. I would love to play for him.”
It has been a difficult stretch for Tennessee sports fans with the issues of the football program over the last decade. In addition, the Vols basketball program, while reaching levels not normally seen in Knoxville, has failed to break through in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols will start the new season with the third coach since the death of Pat Summitt in 2016.
“I just think UT sports is on the climb,” Tollison said. “Peyton Manning said it today or last night in an interview to just kind of watch out because all sports are coming.”
