The University of Tennessee baseball team won its first regional since 2005 on Sunday, and head coach Tony Vitello did not hold back while celebrating the big milestone.
After the Vols beat Liberty 3-1 to win the Knoxville Regional, Vitello went sprinting toward the outfield and somersaulted into a pile of his players. The moment was an outstanding illustration of the connection Vitello has to his team.
Tony Vitello is a rather happy man. pic.twitter.com/t23A5oVPEx
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) June 7, 2021
Vitello also has a great relationship with the fans. He went into the stands to celebrate the win with them as well.
Yeah….I think @Vol_Baseball has found their coach for a long long long time.
Awesome scene postgame with Vols fans after Tennessee advances to the Super Regionals pic.twitter.com/VmJRAzIAsV
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) June 7, 2021
Tony Vitello for President pic.twitter.com/uUNWLwKTxf
— Barstool Rocky Top (@BarstoolTenn) June 7, 2021
Tennessee’s baseball program was in a bad place for years before Vitello arrived in 2018. He has managed to turn things around quickly for the Vols in just two seasons, with one having been canceled due to the pandemic. There has been talk that Tennessee may need to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country and upgrade their facilities if they want the 42-year-old to stick around.
The Vols will now get set to host a super regional. Vitello is clearly enjoying his time as the team’s head coach, but you can understand why Tennessee is going to have to pay to keep him.
