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Dalton Bargo staying ‘locked in’ when opportunities are granted

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•03/25/25•

_Cainer

Tennessee utility player Dalton Bargo. Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee utility player Dalton Bargo. Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee utility player Dalton Bargo is off to an interesting start to his junior campaign this spring.  

He began the season 0-for-5 against Hofstra on opening weekend. The first midweek game of the year on the Tuesday that followed saw Bargo hit a pair of second inning home runs (one being a grand slam) while driving in five runs on the day. He homered two games later against Samford before going on another 0-for-9 stretch entering the St. Bonaventure series.

During that hitless streak, Bargo was the forgotten man in terms of playing time when the squad went down to Houston for the Astros Foundation College Classic.

He then went on another mini-tear against the Bonnies and performed well when given chances against Florida to open Southeastern Conference play. After having a game to forget on Thursday at Alabama, Bargo came off the bench in the second game of the series for a pair of RBI knocks. They ended up being massive in the 10-7 win.   

“Just staying locked in every pitch, from pitch one to last one. Kind of putting away what happened yesterday as a team and personally,” Bargo said after the big game on Friday against Alabama. “Moving on to the next thing, staying locked in and behind my teammates. Paying attention to the tendencies of the pitches and stuff. Just kind of going out there and playing my game.”

During Saturday’s series-finale, Bargo started the 9-run contest for the Vols with a triple and a run scored in the second before acting as the back half of the back-to-back jacks started by Andrew Fischer in the third. At one point in the series, Bargo went through a stretch at the plate that included an RBI double, two-run single, a triple and a solo home run.  

“I think for that guy he just has to stick to the process. He puts in a ton of work and he is a great teammate,” Hunter Ensley said this past weekend on Bargo. “I guess the results weren’t where he wanted them or where the fans wanted them, but that kid is freakishly talented. Just a great teammate. He does everything right. It’s nice to see him get some breaks and put some good swings on balls.”

Bargo continued his hot-streak on into Tuesday midweek against Queens, putting the Vols on the scoreboard first in the opening frame with a solo home run to left-center.

“You got to have your feet under you. You got to be standing up to see it. I mean, not falling all over the place,” Vitello said of Bargo on Tuesday. “He’s really stayed in his swing nicely the last few weeks. Not over swinging, not trying to do too much, and he’s got a real pretty swing, first of all, visually, but also a functional swing.”

Given his defensive versatility, Bargo gives the Vols plenty of options on where to play him in the field. He also showed lineup flexibility on Tuesday, hitting second in the order an reaching base three times. When he is not starting the contest, he’s an excellent pinch hit option, just as he displayed on Friday in Tuscaloosa.

But it looks like Bargo is seeing a beach ball at the plate right now. It’s good to see and Tennessee is certainly benefiting from it.

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