Tony Vitello shares key to Tennessee's improved home run hitting

Under head coach Tony Vitello, the Tennessee Volunteers recently hit a milestone. The team has, for two seasons in a row, hit at least 100 home runs. In 2022, the Vols did it in just 49 games, meaning they’re hitting more than two home runs every game.

Ahead of Tennessee’s vital series against Kentucky, Vitellow shared what he thinks the key is to Tennessee’s home run hitting.

“I don’t know,” Tony Vitello said. “I think prior to that we were real close to that number because I think Coach [Josh] Elander was bothered by it, but at the end of the day, the stat you’d like to have more than anything is a win.”

For his part, Vitello credited his associated head coach and director of baseball sports performance for how they’ve developed players.

“And when you’re about to drive the ball for extra base hits, whether they be home runs or just doubles or triples, you put yourself in a good position and I think our ballpark has been friendly to us, as has other places, and the combination of [like I] said Coach Elander getting guys to swing the bat in the cage the way that he used to, and the Coach Q [Quentin Eberhardt] in the weight room is a pretty good combo.”

At the same time, Tony Vitello knows that none of this would be possible without the players themselves.

“And, of course, just like everybody in the country, you’re trying to coach good athletes too. We’ve been blessed with some guys that have done well here and as you see, the group in pro ball, on the mound and at the plate, is doing really well right now. It’s fun to watch those guys in addition to trying to see who the next wave of those guys will be.”

Tony Vitello on his pitchers fielding

During Tennessee’s game against Austin Peay, Tony Vitello put pitcher Seth Halvorsen in the outfield. After the game, he joked about his goofy pitchers.

“Well, these pitchers are about as goofy as it gets but they do run around out there in the outfield, kind of like Sean Hunley who just got recognized for how well he’s doing,” Tony Vitello said. “I mean, he got good enough he could play infield for us. We joke about it but, and I hope he doesn’t hear this, but same thing. Fitz [Jake Fitzgibbons], it could have reversed. Fitz could go in the outfield and some of those other guys out there kind of fancy themselves athletes.”

Despite Vitello joking around, there is a strategic reason for making this move.

“But they kind of work at it and do it enough that you trust them. Obviously, we had run the gamut with our pitchers and we’re just trying to create a safety valve there. Griffin [Merritt] had made the last out so he wouldn’t have come up for a while. You’d like to think we’d walk him off if we were gonna have to hit again,” Vitello explained.

“So, we just kind of did it that way. But he’s been throwing the ball well. He’s been determined to do better than he had and it certainly has been that way.”