Tony Vitello says Cal Stark was 'outstanding' in Kentucky win

Tennessee catcher Cal Stark rose to the occasion on both sides of the plate during the Vols’ 10-6 victory over Kentucky on Friday.

Stark added the final of seven runs Tennessee scored in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI double. It was his only hit for the night and would finish 1-3 with a walk. Defensively, he was even more impressive. Stark picked off UK’s Ryan Waldschmidt after a leadoff single in the first and later in the seventh, executed a back pick and caught Émilien Pitre trying to scurry back to first base.

“It was outstanding. If you just go off the stat sheet, we erase three of their baserunners [because of Stark] and obviously, he had a big part of that. … But the biggest thing he does just comes with energy, preparation, and communication is a really important part of his game,” Vitello said postgame. “And no matter whether it’s him or Chuck (Charlie Taylor) in there, you get at-bats where you feel like — if you’re not cheering for them and watching every pitch, you’re doing them an injustice to them or the team.

“That’s just the type of guys they are. But also every at-bat is a fight with those two guys, so look forward to Chuck’s next at-bat and of course, it’s been good to have Cal back there defensively and offensively.”

Aside from Stark and Taylor, DH Griffin Merritt was masterful at the plate for Tennessee. He mashed two home runs and batted in five of the Vols’ 10 runs. His two home runs tied and then passed 1B Blake Burke for most long balls on the team with 16. Outfielders Hunter Ensley and Jared Dickey also went yard once each, giving Tennessee a collective five home runs on the night.

With Tennessee earning the opening victory, Saturday and Sunday have turned into must-win games for the Wildcats. Vitello’s Vols are doing everything they can to keep their hopes of hosting a regional intact — neither team can afford a series loss at this point in the season.

A win over Tennessee in this weekend’s series will put Kentucky in a solid position to earn a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, meaning they get to host their own regional tournament. A series loss to the Wildcats, who are No. 1 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and have the No. 1 strength of schedule in the nation, would see the Vols on the outside looking in when it comes to hosting postseason games.

First pitch for Saturday’s game two is set for Noon ET on the SEC Network. They’ll pick back up at 1 p.m. ET for the series finale on Sunday.