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Tennessee

Tony Vitello ejected after blowing up on multiple umpires, tosses chair on way out

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•05/04/25•

ChandlerVessels

Tony Vitello. Credit: Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Tony Vitello. Credit: Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello was ejected in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game against Auburn. The ejection occurred after Vitello became heated while arguing a check swing call that resulted in the Vols walking in a run.

The coach was absolutely livid, getting into the face of the umpires as he passionately pleaded his team’s case. That resulted in him getting tossed, but he was clearly still fuming as he grabbed a chair and tossed it to the side on his way out.

The check swing occurred on what ended up being the third ball of the at bat for Auburn’s Eric Guevara. Vitello believed it should have been called a strike and walked out after the fourth ball was called to confront home plate umpire John Brammer.

Vitello then yelled at third-base umpire Javerro January, who was behind the plate in Game 2. He made sure not to exclude second-base umpire Ben Levin from his wrath either. Ultimately, it was January who made the call to eject the coach.

Tennessee trailed 6-0 at the time of Vitello’s ejection and had walked in back-to-back runs. This is the deciding game of the series after the Vols split the first two, losing Game 1 before winning Game 2 on a walkoff single in the 11th inning.

The ejection is the fifth of Tony Vitello’s career. Before this, the coach had not been tossed since a contest against Missouri on March 19, 2023.

“Probably the comparison of the check swings of Levi (Clark) versus,” Vitello said after the game. “Levi won’t like hearing it, but I think he went. I think both guys went.”

According to VolQuest, Vitello desired as “spillover” from the second game of the series that played a role in the ejection and the heat of the moment.  Vitello and January, who was behind the plate for Saturday’s second game, spent time barking at one another before it was suspended in the 10th inning due to inclement weather. Levin was the home plate umpire for Saturday’s first game, with a strike zone the Tennessee dugout rarely agreed with.

Tennessee would go on to win that extra inning game but lose 8-1 on Sunday, also dropping the series against Auburn. The Vols are now 37-11 (14-10 SEC) on the season and next face Indiana State on Tuesday before beginning a series against in-state rival Vanderbilt.