Tony Vitello recalls what he learned from College World Series last year

Tennessee will compete in its third Men’s College World Series in four years when they take on Florida State in opening round action on Friday.

Despite their recent success, the Volunteers baseball program is still seeking its first NCAA Championship after falling short in each of its last two appearances in Omaha. In both 2021 and 2023 they found themselves in the consolation rounds after the first game — something they’ll be looking to avoid against the Seminoles.

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“Last year we faced [LSU and Paul] Skenes right out of the gate, and he is obviously outstanding. We competed the whole game, and fortunately, just got him out of the game,” head coach Tony Vitello said. “It was pretty late, though. Then the bounceback feeling was what I really liked. We play Stanford. Incredibly talented. Yet, you had a little extra determination in there from the loss.

“I don’t think we were true to ourselves in that last game. Maybe we just got beat, but it was reminiscent of ’21 when we got here. … Again, when we show up on Friday, we could either win or we could lose, but I would prefer when we get back on the bus to go back to the hotel, we won or lost as the 2024 Vols. By now it’s deep enough into the season you guys can look from afar or our fans can make comments, but we know what that looks like and feels like.”

Vitello said that while he isn’t a father, the best gift he could ask for throughout Father’s Day weekend is for his team to just be themselves. From the way Vitello describes it, the 2024 Volunteers are a family that is loose, fun, and can get the job done when put to task.

“There’s plenty of skill in that locker room, but again, the vibe has been a good party during stretches,” Vitello continued. “And then in pregame, you know, guys are trying to get stuff done and they’re communicating, but they’re also having fun.

“Then during our games, there’s been a good understanding of what a nine-inning game is. You don’t want your guys getting too high or too low or dog-cussing somebody in the third inning and you have six innings left or you’re down or you’re up. It’s been a mature group.”

Tennessee will look to keep their momentum going on Friday as they are set to battle Florida State on Friday in Game 2, which will begin at 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN.