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Tony Vitello addresses factor Frank Anderson suspension played in Tennessee's upset Super Regional loss

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•06/13/22•

Jonathan Wagner

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John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

Tennessee’s baseball team saw its season come to an early end on Sunday in Game 3 of the Knoxville Super Regional against Notre Dame. The Volunteers fell 7-3 to the Fighting Irish. Following the game, Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello opened up on the suspension of pitching coach Frank Anderson and revealed how that impacted the team on the field.

Vitello admitted that losing Anderson hurt Tennessee a little bit this weekend, but he also was not shy about heaping praise on assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Josh Elander.

“No one out there is a baseball guru that much, to hit the nail on the head every time,” Vitello started. “But I’m just trying to express to you how good Coach Elander is managing the game. And if you look at the situations where he’s been put in charge of anything, including our recruiting, it’s going really, really well. So I don’t mean to discredit Frank, but I think a lot of Frank’s genius is the time he spends with pitchers building relationships up in the office, adjustments he makes with him individually down in the bullpen and then on game day it’s just his competitiveness.

“Certainly a lot of experience and knowledge. But again, if it’s important to you, everybody will know. Unfortunately we didn’t have him, because that competitiveness spilled over a little bit. But if you look at the resume, it’s working out pretty good for that guy. But again, I just think Coach Elander is so good. He could run the whole team and we could disappear for a few weeks if we wanted to and he would do well.”

Tennessee dropped Game 1 of the Super Regional against Notre Dame on Friday, but the Vols responded in Game 2 with a victory. Needing a win to advance to the College World Series in Omaha on Sunday, Tennessee was not able to get the job done. Tennessee’s offense was held to just five hits on the day.

Tennessee was one of the best regular season teams in the history of college baseball this year, and finished the year with 57 wins. Unfortunately for the Vols, though, that regular season success will not result in a postseason title.