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Tony Vitello observed how Tennessee baseball handled a rubber game at Ole Miss’ Swayze Field.
The Vols took on deficits and didn’t flinch after self-inflicted mistakes to win the series on April 13, which lingered with the Tennessee coach Sunday.
“If you can do it once, you should be able to do it again,” Vitello said.
That was not the case for Tennessee.
The No. 3 Vols let deficits build and made repeated mistakes to lose a series against Kentucky at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Tennessee lost 8-2 in the series finale against the Wildcats, dropping two home series in the same season for the first time since 2021.
“A laundry list that would fall under the category of team,” Vitello said of why the Vols lost back-to-back games with three total runs.
The list largely centers on not playing good, clean baseball.
Tennessee (33-7, 12-6 SEC) didn’t throw and catch consistently in either of the two losses to Kentucky (22-15, 8-10). It had two errors in each game, but made simple mistakes beyond the errors like when second baseman Dean Curley and shortstop Ariel Antigua couldn’t connect on the front end of a 4-6-3 double play in the eighth inning Sunday.
It came to down to conviction as Vitello believed players were guiding the ball instead of throwing it.
Vitello felt the inability to play catch bled into the offense, which was at its worst this season. UT had one run on three hits Saturday with a season-high 15 strikeouts in the 4-1 loss. It had two runs on six hits Sunday.
Outside of Cannon Peebles’ two home runs Friday in an 8-2 win, the bottom third of UT’s lineup was 3-for-27 with 12 strikeouts and two walks in the series. Manny Marin had two of the hits Sunday.
The Vols were overswinging and not making adjustments in Vitello’s eyes.
“A very bad theme of swinging at pitches that were not in the zone and taking pitches that appear to be in the heart of the zone,” Vitello said.
Over it all, Vitello didn’t like the vibe from the dugout. He felt tension early in the game, which surely heightened when Tegan Kuhns allowed four straight to reach in the second inning.
“Guys allowing results or outcomes to shift their mood one way or the other,” Vitello said.
Kentucky also ran at will on the bases against Tennessee. It had 16 steals in the final two games, eight of which were with Marcus Phillips on the mound in a concerning trend.
Phillips has allowed 30 stolen bases in 48⅔ innings. He had pitched 14.8% of Tennessee's innings through Saturday, while 39.1% of steal attempts against UT were with Phillips on the mound.
Opponents are successful on 88.2% of steal attempts against Phillips. They are successful on 73.6% of attempts with other Vols pitchers on the mound.
MY GIRL: Why Cannon Peebles changed his walk-up song before two-homer game for Tennessee baseball
Vitello noted that is not why Tennessee lost the series. But it didn’t help as UT lost back-to-back home series for the first time under Vitello. It lost to Texas A&M in early April.
The Vols are staring down a gauntlet of a final stretch in SEC play with series against LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Likewise, they are staring down Vitello’s laundry list of ways to improve.
“The doctor can prescribe you what to do to rehab something but then you have to do it,” Vitello said. “It is up to us to point out some things that need to improve. At this point in the season, a lot of what is going to go on with Florida State’s programs, ours, Kentucky’s, Oregon’s, whoever, it is going to be the decision the kids make.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball: How Vols lost series to Kentucky
Continue reading...
The Vols took on deficits and didn’t flinch after self-inflicted mistakes to win the series on April 13, which lingered with the Tennessee coach Sunday.
“If you can do it once, you should be able to do it again,” Vitello said.
That was not the case for Tennessee.
The No. 3 Vols let deficits build and made repeated mistakes to lose a series against Kentucky at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Tennessee lost 8-2 in the series finale against the Wildcats, dropping two home series in the same season for the first time since 2021.
“A laundry list that would fall under the category of team,” Vitello said of why the Vols lost back-to-back games with three total runs.
The list largely centers on not playing good, clean baseball.
Tennessee (33-7, 12-6 SEC) didn’t throw and catch consistently in either of the two losses to Kentucky (22-15, 8-10). It had two errors in each game, but made simple mistakes beyond the errors like when second baseman Dean Curley and shortstop Ariel Antigua couldn’t connect on the front end of a 4-6-3 double play in the eighth inning Sunday.
It came to down to conviction as Vitello believed players were guiding the ball instead of throwing it.
Vitello felt the inability to play catch bled into the offense, which was at its worst this season. UT had one run on three hits Saturday with a season-high 15 strikeouts in the 4-1 loss. It had two runs on six hits Sunday.
Outside of Cannon Peebles’ two home runs Friday in an 8-2 win, the bottom third of UT’s lineup was 3-for-27 with 12 strikeouts and two walks in the series. Manny Marin had two of the hits Sunday.
The Vols were overswinging and not making adjustments in Vitello’s eyes.
“A very bad theme of swinging at pitches that were not in the zone and taking pitches that appear to be in the heart of the zone,” Vitello said.
Over it all, Vitello didn’t like the vibe from the dugout. He felt tension early in the game, which surely heightened when Tegan Kuhns allowed four straight to reach in the second inning.
“Guys allowing results or outcomes to shift their mood one way or the other,” Vitello said.
Kentucky also ran at will on the bases against Tennessee. It had 16 steals in the final two games, eight of which were with Marcus Phillips on the mound in a concerning trend.
Phillips has allowed 30 stolen bases in 48⅔ innings. He had pitched 14.8% of Tennessee's innings through Saturday, while 39.1% of steal attempts against UT were with Phillips on the mound.
Opponents are successful on 88.2% of steal attempts against Phillips. They are successful on 73.6% of attempts with other Vols pitchers on the mound.
MY GIRL: Why Cannon Peebles changed his walk-up song before two-homer game for Tennessee baseball
Vitello noted that is not why Tennessee lost the series. But it didn’t help as UT lost back-to-back home series for the first time under Vitello. It lost to Texas A&M in early April.
The Vols are staring down a gauntlet of a final stretch in SEC play with series against LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Likewise, they are staring down Vitello’s laundry list of ways to improve.
“The doctor can prescribe you what to do to rehab something but then you have to do it,” Vitello said. “It is up to us to point out some things that need to improve. At this point in the season, a lot of what is going to go on with Florida State’s programs, ours, Kentucky’s, Oregon’s, whoever, it is going to be the decision the kids make.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee baseball: How Vols lost series to Kentucky
Continue reading...
