Everything Tony Vitello said on a midweek 12-1 win over Indiana State and Vanderbilt this weekend

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello met with members of the media on Tuesday night following his club’s victory over Indiana State in midweek action. The following is video and a written transcript from the Tony Vitello postgame press conference.

Up Next: No. 15 Tennessee welcomes No. 11 Vanderbilt to Lindsey Nelson Stadium this weekend for the final home weekend series of the regular season. First pitch Friday evening is at 5:30 ET on the SEC Network.

On Tennessee being aggressive early in counts against Indiana State…

“I think it was a boiling over of maybe the weekend, and also just a mindset between the end of the game Sunday and the start of the game. I mean, there’s different choices you gotta make, and there’s some recovery time, and there’s also preparation time, and the vibe was as good as it can get before the game.

“I think last Friday was the best we’ve had all year, for what that’s worth. But yeah, I mean, in order to to be productive on offense, you got to be the aggressor, and there are times where you take a hit by pitch, or you lay off pitches and you walk, or the other team might make an error, but it all starts with being aggressive on offense. We want to do it on defense, too, if you’re talking about throwing strikes, but I think guys had the mentality and it bled into the physicality of guys getting after pitches that were hittable early.”

On Tennessee right fielder Reese Chapman being in a slump recently, what his solo home run against Indiana State could do for him going forward…

“Yeah, I think just calm — you know, I don’t want to say nerves. At this point, I haven’t really seen any of that from him. There’s just a lot of try hard, so he’s out in front of balls and that one allows him to revisit the fact he’s strong enough to launch the ball out of the park, even when he doesn’t put a lot of effort into his swing. He could do it to big parts of the ballpark. And then also, he’s at his best when he’s in the middle of the field, as far as attacking the baseball goes.

“It wasn’t a great end of the (Auburn) series (for Chapman), but also took really good swings off (Auburn RHP Samuel Dutton), who’s arguably their best pitcher, if we’re going to look in the rear view mirror. So I think, you know, keep it simple. There’s nothing crazy going on there. But a nice confidence booster for him, which, like it or not, these kids, every now and then, need results for permission to feel good about themselves, even though that’s not the case. It’d be nice if they remember that they don’t always get those and don’t always need those to realize that they’re capable of doing great things.”

On making changes to the top of the order, hitting Andrew Fischer second, Hunter Ensley third, Dalton Bargo fourth and Dean Curley fifth…

“That was kind of what we were going to do a couple weeks ago. We went with the other kind of option we laid out. That’s been fine, but it’s not ideal, so I think this is a good option, and then also probably something I’ll visit with them on tomorrow. We don’t have the team where you lay it out, or you guys could write it without asking me what it is. It’s not that type of group. That doesn’t mean it’s better or worse. It just means it’s not that type of group. And I think if everybody’s prepared and also on board with whatever they’re asked to do, it could actually mean better, because you got a guy (Chris Newstrom) that can play right and then second, and a guy (Bargo) that can play left and then third, and a few guys that can catch. Levi (Clark) did a really good job tonight. So there’s options, and we want to use them to the best of our ability. And I think at this point, the guys all realize it’s kind of a team effort on the offensive end.”

On what led to Tennessee being more aggressive offensively…

“I think it was a frustrating weekend. I mean, for obvious reasons, so you can let that weigh you down, or you can use it to lift you up. I think they chose wisely the last couple days.”

On how the last couple of games can prepare them mentally for this weekend’s rivalry series against Vanderbilt…

“I mean, they’re all rivalries on the weekend. We played down in Baton Rouge, and like it or not, one of the more storied programs in the history of college baseball, and it was their biggest ever crowd and most expensive tickets. So whether it’s Manny (Marin), or Stone (Lawless), or Levi (Clark). Or Gavin’s (Kilen) new to the league. Or (Brandon Arvidson), who was in the league and then at junior college. I don’t know what else you need. I mean, in Oxford, they wanted to punch two of our guys (Liam Doyle and Andrew Fischer), and in Baton Rouge, that went on. And then now, the opposing team has to deal — well, that’s a sensitive topic — but the opposing team, for the most part, deals with what we deal with too. But by now, we’ve kind of seen everything with rain delays, and it’s been a different wind in Lindsay Nelson Stadium, and different types of crowds we’ve had. Kind of seen it all.

“So I think the thing we need to do is just kind of realize what’s — or they need to realize what’s the best version of them, and try and utilize it. Like I said, last Friday we didn’t get to find out what would have happened because of the weather. But that’s the most ready I’ve seen a team in a while with just the way they were acting and the swings. I wasn’t the only  coach that said it, too. So be nice to have the next three days lay them out as best as possible, preparation wise, and then just see what you get on a Friday.”

On if it’s more challenging for the staff in a year where there’s not a set lineup every day…

“Maybe a little bit, but it’s kind of fun. You like organizing stuff and coming up with different ideas and have friendly debates and things like that. I think if anything, like on a situation like tonight, you don’t want somebody to get left without an at-bat or an appearance that you wanted, or you kind of want to spread the jam on the toast evenly, but that’s not going to work out either. So yeah, at the end of the day, you just want everybody to be excited for the team to play, and excited for the team if we win, and then the rest is just kind of detailed. So I don’t see that as a big thing, and I think it’s a cop out too. I’ve coached a guy a long time ago that wanted to cry in his Wheaties every day he was in a new position. If you don’t want to play, go home. I would have killed the play. I had to sit there and watch. So regardless of where you’re at or what inning you go in and stuff like that, these kids are pretty blessed. Heck, they’re blessed with just the food they’re getting delivered right now for post game spread.”

On Gavin Kilen getting back from injury, the boost to the lineup…

“I think as far as Gavin goes, it’s a carry over from what we were just talking about. It’s good that he’s taking the responsibility of moving to a different position and just playing ball. It’s more simple than you think. And they’ve all had reps at all those positions. He’s played that position (shortstop) a bunch for his life, so I just feel good about him accepting, hey, we move you up a slot and move you to a different position, just continue to play ball. And he’s not a guy that’s going to lead to where you guys notice. Every now and then, he’ll put a bug in one of our guys ear and say, ‘you’re not doing it the way you need to.’ But more than anything he’ll lead by example. Plays with a little bit of chip on his shoulder, but keeps it simple, just a ball player, so hopefully guys on the defensive end and offensive end can take note and follow that lead.”

On what he knows about Vanderbilt…

“Don’t know a ton other than good amount of returning players. A couple incomers that are young, they were always kind of on the circuit where you saw them doing all the popular stuff, where the best players get invited to and they’re fully capable of getting innings and being productive as freshmen in the league, kind of like some of the guys— some of our guys know some of their younger guys. So we’ll take a look, see what we got. And probably what we got is another SEC team, which means they’ll be organized, they’ll be well coached, they’ll compete and they’ll challenge us to play our best ball over the course of three days. But again, for me, I was telling John (Wilkerson), I just kind of would like to play a Friday, and I’m not complaining. Like, hey, we need to play better in certain situations, all that stuff. But it’d be nice to play at the scheduled 5:30 time with relatively normal weather and the normal Lindsey Nelson Stadium crowd, and let our guys prepare the way they did for two and a half days, like they did last week. And let it play out, see where we’re at. Feel better about making an assessment from that.”

On if the way Tennessee turned around its 2023 season, the way other teams can turn around seasons helps him stay positive…

“I mean, somebody will go bananas. I don’t think there’s a whole lot that needs to change. John pinned me down on the radio. And if you could change one thing, what would it be? I think at this point we need to make sure we’re putting the pitchers in the right situation. We’ve got a good staff. It was a staff that was ranked high for whatever reason. You know, there’s ability there. We need to put those guys in a good position to succeed. And when those guys get the ball, even if it’s out of the norm or out of their comfort zone, they need to just execute who they are. And then the only other thing, yeah defense, base running. You’re never going to be perfect, but the hitters mentality, they need to understand that they don’t need to go up there and save the day every at-bat. We need a different mentality each day, or an improved mentality. But other than that, I don’t think there’s a whole lot that needs to change. (I would) Like to go back and flip a couple games to where we win them, like I’ve said two or three times with you and you’re not asking that question. But I get what you’re saying. I think the moments in time that’ll live on forever were a result of guys just continuing to compete regardless of what’s going on. And then the teams, like you’ve said, where it’s not perfect, and then it kind of comes together at the right time. Those are teams that stay positive and stick with their routines and don’t try and reinvent the wheel as far as what they’re trying to do.”