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The Tennessee baseball lineup posted 45 minutes before first pitch against Northern Kentucky.
It had the two switches at the top.
Gavin Kilen led off playing shortstop and Dean Curley hit second and was at second base, the pair flipping positions and spots in the lineup as coach Tony Vitello rolled out a reorganized lineup.
"Blame it on me for not getting here faster," Vitello said. "But here we are. We know what it’s going to look like when we take the field and it’s either going to be good enough or it’s not. So that’s what it’ll be."
The No. 6 Vols (36-9, 13-8 SEC) edged Northern Kentucky 7-5 with the new-look lineup April 29. They face No. 11 Auburn (31-14, 11-10) in a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium starting May 2 after losing back-to-back SEC series for the first time since 2023.
Vitello made a big shuffle in that season amid the scuffle, flipping around the weekend pitching rotation and inserting Andrew Lindsey as the Game 1 starter. The Vols went on to reach the College World Series after a 5-10 start to SEC play.
These Vols aren't in nearly such a precarious position, but are looking for a boost after losing three series and going 10-7 in April.
"If you take a step back, realistic step back and analyze a month ... if you just win one more game, it’s not a month of championship-caliber (baseball), but it ain’t a bad month either," Vitello said. "So I think you got to put it into perspective a little bit."
The game Vitello is referencing is likely the 6-3 loss in the series opener at LSU in which UT led 3-0 going into the ninth inning. Curley had two errors in the inning, opening the way for the LSU comeback.
Vitello said the coaches had conversations during the weekend in Baton Rouge about swapping Curley and Kilen. The pair split time at shortstop and second base during the preseason with the intent of doing so in the season. But the Vols won their first 20 games and the lineup held steady.
Kilen started 62 games at shortstop in two seasons at Louisville, while Curley has looked more comfortable at second base than on the left side of the infield in recent weeks. Curley was the designated hitter in the final two games at LSU, but putting him in the field allows the Vols to utilize the DH spot on a game-by-game basis. Levi Clark was the starter against NKU and his right-handed power adds another dimension to the lineup.
Vitello also can adjust the starting third base spot between Ariel Antigua, Manny Marin and Dalton Bargo. Bargo also can play in left field, but when he is at third the Vols also have options in left field.
TONY: What is Tony Vitello's panic level after Tennessee baseball loses series at LSU?
"It is a group of position guys where you wish you could make out a 12-man lineup, but we can’t do that," Vitello said. "So coming full circle in the month of May, we’ll go with pretty much some similar stuff you saw tonight.”
That means Kilen leading off and playing shortstop and Curley in the two-hole at second, a small change but one that could have a big payoff as the Vols look toward a better May.
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: How a Tony Vitello infield, lineup shift changes Tennessee baseball
Continue reading...
It had the two switches at the top.
Gavin Kilen led off playing shortstop and Dean Curley hit second and was at second base, the pair flipping positions and spots in the lineup as coach Tony Vitello rolled out a reorganized lineup.
"Blame it on me for not getting here faster," Vitello said. "But here we are. We know what it’s going to look like when we take the field and it’s either going to be good enough or it’s not. So that’s what it’ll be."
The No. 6 Vols (36-9, 13-8 SEC) edged Northern Kentucky 7-5 with the new-look lineup April 29. They face No. 11 Auburn (31-14, 11-10) in a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium starting May 2 after losing back-to-back SEC series for the first time since 2023.
Vitello made a big shuffle in that season amid the scuffle, flipping around the weekend pitching rotation and inserting Andrew Lindsey as the Game 1 starter. The Vols went on to reach the College World Series after a 5-10 start to SEC play.
These Vols aren't in nearly such a precarious position, but are looking for a boost after losing three series and going 10-7 in April.
"If you take a step back, realistic step back and analyze a month ... if you just win one more game, it’s not a month of championship-caliber (baseball), but it ain’t a bad month either," Vitello said. "So I think you got to put it into perspective a little bit."
The game Vitello is referencing is likely the 6-3 loss in the series opener at LSU in which UT led 3-0 going into the ninth inning. Curley had two errors in the inning, opening the way for the LSU comeback.
Vitello said the coaches had conversations during the weekend in Baton Rouge about swapping Curley and Kilen. The pair split time at shortstop and second base during the preseason with the intent of doing so in the season. But the Vols won their first 20 games and the lineup held steady.
Kilen started 62 games at shortstop in two seasons at Louisville, while Curley has looked more comfortable at second base than on the left side of the infield in recent weeks. Curley was the designated hitter in the final two games at LSU, but putting him in the field allows the Vols to utilize the DH spot on a game-by-game basis. Levi Clark was the starter against NKU and his right-handed power adds another dimension to the lineup.
Vitello also can adjust the starting third base spot between Ariel Antigua, Manny Marin and Dalton Bargo. Bargo also can play in left field, but when he is at third the Vols also have options in left field.
TONY: What is Tony Vitello's panic level after Tennessee baseball loses series at LSU?
"It is a group of position guys where you wish you could make out a 12-man lineup, but we can’t do that," Vitello said. "So coming full circle in the month of May, we’ll go with pretty much some similar stuff you saw tonight.”
That means Kilen leading off and playing shortstop and Curley in the two-hole at second, a small change but one that could have a big payoff as the Vols look toward a better May.
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: How a Tony Vitello infield, lineup shift changes Tennessee baseball
Continue reading...
