Tony Vitello receives Gatorade bath after national championship win

Tony Vitello just won the national championship — which means he earned the honor of getting drenched in gatorade after the game.

Mid-interview during the post-game fracas, a litany of newly minted national championship-winning Tennessee Volunteers snuck up on their head coach. Of course, Vitello completely embraced it. He even picked some ice up off the grass and threw it in the air in adulation.

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It looked like Vitello was one of the players for a second.

Tony Vitello. My Coach. National Champion. Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/4jbmmK2kTd

— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) June 25, 2024

Before his guys chose to drench him in electrolytes, Vitello had been talking up his guys, who had just won the 60th game of Tennessee’s season. Obviously, it was a team effort all the way through.

“Kids are tough these days, these guys will do whatever you ask them to do,” Vitello said postgame. “I don’t really know what happened the last pitch, but I know our fans got us through that tough inning. … Incredible group of guys. Team chemistry — Just be a good teammate if you’re listening. If you’re in the SEC, you’re going to be a superstar player but you need to be a good teammate and that’s where these guys were.”

It was the bottom of the seventh inning that truly separated the Vols from the Aggies. Dylan Dreiling’s bat was hot after recording an RBI his last time out. He was able to just send the ball over the fence over the outstretched arms of Texas A&M’s outfield and into the bullpen to score two more runs. Kavares Tears almost matched Dreiling’s effort two batters later, but wind forced the ball to remain inside the park and fell for an RBI double. All of a sudden, Tennessee boasted a five-run lead heading into the eighth inning.

Texas A&M gave Tennessee its best shot over the next two innings, however. The Aggies were able to score four runs between the eighth and ninth innings to make things interesting. Despite its best effort, Texas A&M struck out on its final opportunity to win it all and the championship instead falls to Tennessee.

Tennessee fans from Omaha all the way back home in Knoxville will be celebrating the historic win deep into the night. As the party begins, the Vols can rest assured knowing they’ve been one of, if not the best team in baseball since the 2024 college season began.