Everything Tony Vitello said on a series rubber match with Alabama on Saturday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Tennessee skipper Tony Vitello spoke briefly on Saturday’s game three win for Tennessee over Alabama from Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Here’s a written transcript from what Vitello had to say.

Up Next: Tennessee returns home for a midweek bout with Queens on Tuesday at 6 pm ET before hitting the road again for conference play at South Carolina next weekend.

On the celebration by team in outfield after winning series and response…

“I think there was just some interaction with their fans and Reese [Chapman], you know, it’s part of the SEC. Those fans will give you hell, but they’ll also buddy up with you. They like being at the park. So, even though there were separate team colors, I think Reese had a little camaraderie with some of those guys. So, they were just barking back and forth at each other in a positive way and they made it a good environment out there. And yeah, our guys had a good response. I think they were motivated from Thursday night game one and it was a long two days. So, the fact they stayed the course was impressive.”

On Tegan Kuhns’ start…

“I think his presence more than anything. I mean, obviously, he was throwing strikes, but I think his presence was the biggest thing. And to be fair, I mean, he’s looked good since he’s been pitching for us, but with a little bit of arm soreness and undefined role. We’ve had him out there a couple times and kind of been a little restrictive due to pitch count. But he’s built himself up into a position where he can give you a true start. And he certainly did that today.”

On Brayden Krenzel’s relief outing…

“Same thing that he had going on Tuesday. Really good presence for him, as well, but throwing every pitch with conviction. Really has been able to mix and match with off speed and a fastball – that’s really good. And the ball is coming out of his hand as good as it has ever. And that’s a testament to a lot of hard work. I know he and Frank [Anderson] have done some stuff on the side as well too, so to help with the execution. But I think the bottom line is those two guys [Tegan Kuhns as well] show that they belong in the category. You’ve been bragging on some of these position guys that are young and maybe because they’re keeping it simple, but I think it’s part of their nature. They leave fear in the locker room, which is appreciated from our end.”

On Ariel Antigua’s day at the plate…

“I think he just needs reps. I mean, anyone that knows him from where he is from or seen him a bunch – it’s easy to label him a defender first or defender only guy. But it’s reality, in my opinion, just been lack of reps due to injury. It’s been a bunch of little nagging injuries, one big injury in high school and then playing time and we’ve had a quality group the last two years. So, he just needs reps to get comfortable in there and get back to what he’s capable of doing. To steal kind of his dad’s words, he just needs his mojo back. And I think he’s in the process of doing that. And all these kids need reps.”

On winning the series without Gavin Kilen…

“You just play with what you got. I mean, that’s what we’re going to do if it’s a Sunday and we’re not sure who our starter is, or Tuesday. We’ve gassed some guys out over the weekend. We got a lot of guys that have worked hard to earn the right to wear this uniform. So, whoever gets their opportunity needs to take advantage of it. And the guys that are wishing they want more just need to be hungry on the sideline. But it’s a very, very good team, you know, and obviously playing in their park. They’ve started to get to some fans here. Like I said earlier, they’re adding to the environment. So, for the guys to get through this week, which if you look at the schedule – the timeframe of the spring break thing – the emotional wins against our first SEC opponent. ETSU has got a great club for us to come out the way we did. You always want better but impressive and a notch in the belt for the guys.”

On any updates regarding Gavin Kilen…

“I think it’s slowly getting better, but it’s probably at least an eight, nine, 10-day thing. So, as I mentioned, we’ll first look at the ability to maybe pinch hit and then maybe just hit. Maybe defend after that. And then base running will be last. He’ll probably be asked to chill a little bit there. So, daily progress, but probably not playing on Tuesday.”