Tony Vitello addresses health of rivalry with Vanderbilt

The SEC is known for its huge rivalries between the programs that call the conference home. When it comes to baseball, arguably, there is none more prominent than that between in-state SEC East programs Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

Following the three-game series between the Volunteers and Commodores, Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello addressed the health of the rivalry between the two programs.

“It depends on which category you wanna go to,” said Vitello. “I mean, you look at what Coach (Tim) Corbin has accomplished: plenty. So, regardless of how each day goes, he’s gonna be just fine. Their program is still the same program it’s been. We still feel like we’re trying to grow our stadium, our program, our approach, our recruiting. So we’re just pushing forward.”

The intensity of that rivalry was on full display over the weekend as two programs squared off in a three-game series. The Volunteers got the better of the Commodores, winning the series 2-1. Tennessee won the first two matches, and Vanderbilt closed the weekend out with a 3-0 victory.

“As it relates to who you’re playing in the league, I just think it can be a little overrated, at times, because if you really want to break it down, you’re trying to keep bread on the table for everybody. But at the same time, you’re trying to compete each weekend and survive. And I think what success is in our league is maybe a little different than others because the competition level is so high.”

“Maybe it sounds bad, [but] I still feel somewhat new to Tennessee. We’re trying to push forward and just make you know daily improvements.”

Vitello became the Tennessee head coach back in 2018. Although he feels like he is still getting acclimated to the rivalry, he’s had plenty of time to go blow for blow with the Commodores on numerous occasions. Since taking over the program, he has a record of 11-7 against Vanderbilt and, as of late, has won nine of their last ten matchups. Had Tennessee beat Vanderbilt on Sunday, not only would they have swept the series, but they would have also boasted a 10-game-winning streak over their arch-nemesis on the diamond.