Tony Vitello gets fired up talking about Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovation plans

The quick turnaround for Tennessee baseball since head coach Tony Vitello took over in 2018 saw the Volunteers go from a middle of the road SEC team, to the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seed and boasting consecutive 50-win seasons.

With that success breeds cash directly into the athletic department’s pockets, and in turn, Lindsey Nelson Stadium is set to undergo renovations in the near future. The plan is set to make the park “one of the most premier college baseball venues in the country.”

“I’m tremendously excited,” Vitello said about the renovations. “For me it’s been kind of a step by step and ‘hey, what do you think about this?’ and we’ll come back to the engineers about this — it’s been active, and the excitement has kind of stayed at a level.

“I just really applaud the administration and the idea of working hard on this so maybe if we’re able to get it out on a day like today, the timing is perfect. My phone was blowing up and I think everyone is very impressed. It’s hard to get into the exact details right now of ‘What’s this road going to be called?’, but just to see the grand scale of it lets people know how serious everyone around here is in investing in baseball.”

These renovations to the Vols’ park were the focal point of the Tennessee’s budget for 2022-23 fiscal year, which had $56.8 million aimed toward the baseball stadium, according to Knox News.

The proposed renovations are set to include construction of additional amenities including a new indoor infield facility along with expanded site improvements in the hopes to enhance team areas and athlete spaces.

“So yeah, I think a lot of continued excitement is what I’ve had,” Vitello said. “You can see it in my text messages from alums and VFLs and people that take a lot of pride on the program. I think the scale of the whole deal is what’s been talked about.” 

The Vols are set to play the second game of the Knoxville Regional against Campbell Saturday live from Lindsey Nelson Stadium at 7 p.m. ET. Their first game against Alabama State saw Tennessee score a 10-0 dominant victory, including a five-run sixth inning that put the game out of reach.