Tony Vitello compares Billy Amick to Trevor Story after dominant opening weekend

Tennessee had to face slugger Billy Amick in the postseason last June when he was still playing at Clemson. Vols head coach Tony Vitello is glad Amick is now wearing a different shade of orange.

Amick transferred to Tennessee last offseason and is off to a strong start in Knoxville. He drove in five runs and hit a pair of home runs for the Vols on opening weekend.

Vitello is not surprised that Billy Amick is off to a strong start at Tennessee after facing him and scouting him in the Clemson Regional last year. Vitello added that Amick reminds him of a two-time MLB All-Star.

“He’s really strong, first of all. Reminded us when we recruited him of Trevor Story, who’s from this area,” Vitello said. “It took Trevor a while, having seen him, to get as physical as Billy is right now. … I’m glad he’s wearing our color orange. That’s no disrespect to anybody. I mean, we’re fortunate to have him.”

Billy Amick hit .413 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 46 games last spring, while helping Clemson to a 44-19 record.

The Tigers ended up losing to Tennessee in a winners bracket game in the Clemson Regional, before the Vols went on to advance to Omaha. Amick was only 1-for-3 with a hit by pitch last year against Tennessee, but Vitello is well aware of what he is capable of. He added that Amick is continuing to develop as an all-around player.

“When we saw him across the way, in scouting him, we weren’t very comfortable when he was in the box,” Vitello said. “He’s someone who’s always hit, but he seems to be progressing in a lot of areas and that includes hitting.”

Tony Vitello opens up on growth of Zander Sechrist

Elsewhere with the Tennessee baseball program, left-handed pitcher Zander Sechrist is one of the key players for Tennessee in the 2024 season. Now a senior, he also clearly has the trust of his head coach, Tony Vitello.

Vitello recently opened up on the growth of Sechrist and how he has developed over the years.

“I think we could date that back to when we started recruiting him, because it was at a fairly young age,” Tony Vitello said. “And because of the proximity of being from Georgia, not very far away, and him just being a, a big personality and coming from a good family there’s been a ton of interaction. So, he’s always kind of been the same guy. Goofy lefty, big heart, good family, easy to interact with, but he’s matured in a lot of different areas that have made him more comfortable.”