Tony Vitello talks Tennessee’s pitching plans in the College World Series
Tony Vitello doesn’t like saying one thing and then doing something else. Even when it comes to the Tennessee baseball coach being asked about his pitching plans for the College World Series this weekend.
“Well, Frank is not sitting here,” Vitello joked, referencing Tennessee pitching coach Frank Anderson as the Vols held their first press conference in Omaha on Thursday.
“You know,” he continued, “we’ve just kind of gone with our routine.”
It’s been a routine that has carried Tennessee (43-20) back to the College World Series at Charles Schwab Stadium in Omaha for the second time in three years, where the Vols will face No. 5-seed LSU (48-15) on Saturday (7 p.m. Eastern Time, TV: ESPN).
Wake Forest (52-10), the No. 1 overall seed, and Stanford (44-18), making its third trip to Omaha in as many years, play at 2 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN on Tennessee’s side of the bracket. The winners and losers from the two games will match up on Monday in the double-elimination format.
Tony Vitello: ‘There’s no tomfoolery or anything like that’
Tennessee staved off elimination in the Hattiesburg Super Regional by rallying from down 4-0 in Game 2 against Southern Miss to win 8-4 on Sunday. The Vols won Game 3 5-0 late Monday night to advance to the College World Series for just the sixth time in program history.
College World Series play starts Friday in Omaha with a 2 p.m. ET start between Oral Roberts (51-12) and TCU (42-22). Virginia (50-13) and Florida (50-15) play the second game Friday, a 7 p.m. ET start on ESPN.
The pitching routine for the Vols has been junior right-hander Andrew Lindsey as a Game 1 starter, junior right-hander Chase Dollander in Game 2 and sophomore right-hander Drew Beam as a Game 3 starter.
“There’s no tomfoolery or anything like that,” Vitello said, “but we’ve rolled with what really has got us to this point with Andrew Lindsey first and Dollander second and Beam third.”
Lindsey opened the Clemson Regional by allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings against Charlotte, picking up a sixth straight win. He gave up four runs on six hits in four innings against Southern Miss in Game 1, a 5-3 Tennessee loss.
Dollander gave up four runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings against Clemson on June 3, but Tennessee rallied to tie the game with two outs in the ninth on Zane Denton’s three-run home run, then win 6-5 in the 14-inning thriller.
Dollander gave up four more runs on seven hits over eight innings against Southern Miss on Sunday, but retired 12 straight and 18 of 19 after giving up four runs in the third inning.
Beam gave up two runs on four hits against Charlotte on June 4, helping Tennessee clinch the Clemson Regional title. He shutout Southern Miss Monday, scatter seven hits over six innings.
Up Next: Tennessee vs. No. 5 LSU, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
And then there’s sophomore right-hander Chase Burns out of the bullpen. He pitched 6.1 innings in relief against Clemson on June 3, giving up just one run on six hits in the 14-inning win.
He pitched 3.2 innings without giving up a hit over the final two Super Regional games at Southern Miss, touching 102 miles per hour to get the final out with two runners on in the seventh inning.
The role Burns has played has been just as big, if not bigger, than any of the starting pitchers Vitello rolls with in Omaha.
“Burnsy has been incredible out of the bullpen with his stuff and ability to get outs,” Vitello said, “but he has kind of changed our team’s mentality a little bit too with the emotion he pitches with and having fun out there again as an athlete.
“But also he gives our guys confidence that the back end of the game is one that we feel like we can win each time we go out.”
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