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Tony Vitello calls out 'tough guy in the stands' after Tennessee's loss to Texas A&M

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•05/23/23•

GrantRamey

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Tony Vitello (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tennessee baseball’s lack of production at the plate in its 3-0 loss to Texas A&M Tuesday afternoon in the SEC Tournament wasn’t an effort issue. Tony Vitello said so himself after the game while calling out a fan in the process.

“Certainly guys (were) trying,” Vitello said during his postgame press conference, “some tough guy in the stands didn’t think they were, but I can guarantee you our guys are trying; otherwise, they’re not on the field this time around or this time of year.”

Tennessee (38-19) was bounced from the SEC Tournament with the loss and now awaits the NCAA Tournament’s 64-team bracket being announced on Monday. Texas A&M (33-23) held the Vols to just one hit, issuing no walks and striking out eight.

Vols now await NCAA Tournament bracket release on Monday

Starter Troy Wansing went eight innings, giving up just one hit and striking out seven before a two-hour rain delay stopped the game late. Evan Aschenbeck picked a perfect ninth to end it for the Aggies. 

The only hit for Tennessee came from Christian Scott. Maui Ahuna was 0-for-4 while the other seven Vols in the lineup went 0-for-3. Scott finished 1-for-3.

“We certainly had some struggles earlier in the year,” Vitello said of the hitting issues on Tuesday, “but I think we got some things sorted out to where we found out what our best defense was, corrected some base-running mistakes. 

“And then our at-bats on the whole, if you look at baseball, it’s a game of percentages, have been pretty good. You take one day, anything can happen with the weather, with the starting pitcher, wind is blowing one way or the other.”

Tennessee starter Seth Halvorsen gives up two runs over four innings

Starter Seth Halvorsen took the loss for Tennessee, giving up two earned runs on three hits and three walks over four innings pitched. A&M went up 1-0 sun the third inning and doubled the lead in the fourth. The Aggies added another insurance run in the sixth. 

“There’s a lot that can happen,” Vitello said. “So you’ve got to go out there and play, and I thought our guys did that. Things obviously tensed up a little bit as they took the lead first, and then we had a couple balls that didn’t go maybe where we wanted them to. 

“But I think the story is the guy that I saw walking up probably to talk to Burkey (Blake Burke) and those other guys. That was not in the scouting report.”

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