Tennessee
Everything Tony Vitello Said After Tennessee Baseball Lost to Oklahoma | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee baseball suffered their first loss of the 2024 season on Saturday night in Arlington to the Oklahoma Sooners.
The game went into extra innings, where the Sooners were able to score four runs into the tenth and ultimately pick up a 5-1 victory.
Following the game, Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello met with the media to discuss his thoughts on the loss, from Tennessee’s elite defense to poor offense and everything in between.
Everything he said is below.
On what his team saw tonight from Oklahoma pitching…
“They saw some good pitching. I know that. To me, you always got to get guys on base to have runners left on base. Would have liked to have seen a little bit better execution or drive in a guy there and we have a chance to win the game. But again, you’re doing that against good competition and it’s easier said than done. I think we look back at it and see there’s some pitches we chased and maybe a little bit better approach to high-level arms. It just didn’t seem to be the kind of same vibe out of that offense from last night. It’s easy to say because the scoreboard says that, but again, their guys did a good job of pitching out of some trouble.”
On if he learned anything about his team tonight…
“Yeah, some guys getting their first go-around. It’s huge and it’s coming for a couple of other guys here soon. It’s not like you can’t do it well your first time, but I think these guys will reflect and realize this will help them and help them navigate the waters a little bit when they are in a jam or something like that. We were one pitch away several different times. If Beam gets out of that inning, I think it makes it easier on Marcus [Phillips] for his first appearance. Although you guys saw, he was throwing the ball with some electricity. I think he will be better next time out. And if we were able to get to Combsy [Aaron Combs] a little later in the game, maybe the result is different. But ifs and buts, candy and nuts.”
On the defense tonight and if he’s been a part of a triple play…
“I know I have a couple of times. I know that was probably one way I know I haven’t – don’t remember it being like that. I mean CMO [Christian Moore] I think put about seven tags out there. However it was needing to get done. And of course, you had the glove deal before it. However you can get the outs, you’ll take them.”
On Cal Stark behind the plate….
“Same as always. I mean, he is really good defensively and his energy is phenomenal back there. There is an art to working with umpires and pitchers and the pitching coach. It’s a lot of different stuff coming at you at once. He’s – I don’t want to say he’s mastered it – but he does it at a very high level and he makes you feel good when he is back there.”
More From RTI: Three Takeaways: Tennessee Baseball Suffers First Loss of Season to Oklahoma in Extra Innings
On where Christian Moore is at at shortstop right now:
“Good! He’s worked hard to be in that position. It’s also where he started out. I mean, when we first started recruiting him, he was a pitcher and playing that position, but I think some hard work has paid off. And really more attention to detail. He’s at his best in the box when you can’t really pay attention to detail, you have a 90 mph ball coming at you. But when you’re just trying to win and emotions aren’t involved and things like that, and then on defense, I think it’s paying attention to the best way to approach the whole thing. Rather than just get by on athleticism and a good arm, so he’s definitely had improvement.”
On Mathew Dallas and Derek Schaefer in their debuts:
“Dallas was great, and I think Schaefer’s last pitch, if he throws that same pitch, we’re out of the inning without any trouble. And I think if he goes back and watches the video, he’ll see that. And I’m out of eligibility, that’s easy for me to say. But again, I think when it’s your first time, you have got a lot of different things going on. Again, I think there’s some positives to take away from him being out there, and I think his last pitch was his best pitch. If he can throw that in the right situation, I can’t guarantee the result is different, but it’s probably a better result from that one particular at-bat.”
On if a game like this can teach the team something:
“I think it taught you what a regional game is going to look like if you haven’t played college baseball before. That’s a regional game. Or a super regional game or a game in Hoover. If you’re fortunate enough to move on from there, that’s what those games look like. The ones that when you go back to the hotel, it either really, really hurts, which I hope it does for our guys tonight, and also if you get it done, it feels good. But I think for them to… you know, could’ve managed the game a lot better. We’re trying to get to know our guys a little bit, and they’re trying to get to know what this is all about. They learned a lot from being in this deal.”
On what he’s looking forward to learning about his team tomorrow:
“You got opportunities to do two different things. Play a 1-1 series, it’s obviously going to be three different teams, but going into Sunday when it’s been kind of what it’s supposed to be in our league, which happens often, or any other big league, it’s a war on Sunday to get out of here with a win, or to get the series win. And then also it’s our first chance to respond to adversity.
“I don’t know. Maybe I felt it a little bit, maybe the other guys did. You want to be confident, but when you’re wearing this jersey or any other jersey, you’re not invincible. So, I don’t think we took anybody lightly, you’re not going to take Oklahoma lightly, but I think that our guys need to be confident but realize that it’s going to be a battle every time you get out on the field. And again, two opportunities tomorrow. One-to-one, and also the bounceback.”
On who will start on Sunday:
“Zander [Sechrist] will start for us tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The poet laureate of Tennessee has just died. Margaret Britton Vaughn was 87-years-old. Friends knew Vaughn as hilarious, talented, and deeply unique.
Visiting Bell Buckle, Tennessee over the years, I’ve just found this little place has so many artists. A proud addition to that is Vaughn.
“When Maggi was your friend, you knew you had a friend,” said longtime friend Annie Rooney. “It wasn’t if you’re rich or poor or have four matching tires on your car, she was your friend.”
Going way back, Vaughn was a songwriter for some country greats.
“Loretta Lynn, yes!” said friend Carla Webb.
To understand the uniqueness of Vaughn, listen to this story.
“Maggi says, ‘honey, you wanna go to the movies with me?’” friend Billy Phillips remembered.
Phillips was nine when he and Vaughn became friends and took a trip to the Carpi Theatre in Shelbyville.
“When I get into the car, there were 200 empty boxes of chocolate bunny rabbits!” Phillips laughed.
“She loved chocolate,” Rooney agreed.
“It couldn’t be hollow milk chocolate,” Phillips continued. “It had to be solid milk chocolate.”
That was just one of many loves. One of the times I got to talk to Vaughn was in 2023. She was selling eclectic things she’d collected. They included a typewriter built out of clothes hangers and a lamp made of forks and spoons.
“Maggi had a lot of stuff!” Phillips said.
She’d call around to antique shops.
“Got anything that looks like me, honey?” Rooney laughed, remembering Vaughn’s calls.
Talking to Vaughn, you came to understand something. She had a deep appreciation for the art and the artist who made it. That’s something that sprang from Vaughn being an artist herself.
“My mother looked down and said, ‘are you sure you don’t want to be a nurse?’” Vaughn told me in 2023. “I said, ‘no, momma. I wanna be a songwriter and a poet.’ People say, ‘Maggi, these books. You’ve written my life.’”
“Maggi had front porch books, not coffee table books,” Webb said.
“She was a poet of the people,” Rooney continued.
Vaughn took on prejudice in her work. She also wrote about all things she loved.
“She covered rural life, southern things,” Phillips said.
That writing carried her to become the poet laureate of Tennessee in 1995. The next year, she wrote Tennessee’s bicentennial poem.
“I gave her her last kiss the other day,” Webb said.
“I’m on the verge of tears,” Phillips added. “This will be a real gut punch.”
Asking around town, people seemed to agree on their favorite of Vaughn’s works.
“Is That You Mama?” Phillips said, naming one of Vaughn’s poems.
Webb read me an excerpt of the poem. It ended with these lines;
“Well, mama, I’m okay now. You tell the Lord I said hi. Was that you, mama, that just kissed me bye?”
“Maggi was a true original, and Bell Buckle was proud to call her our own,” Phillips said.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Tenn. seniors make a splash on a giant slip-and-slide
A slip-and-slide for seniors?! Who knew it could stir laughter and tears. Photojournalist Angie Dones captures a story filled with so much joy and one that will tug at your heartstrings.
– Carrie Sharp
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As millions of people are expected to travel through Tennessee to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is suspending all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes.
The suspension will begin at noon on Thursday, July 2, through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6. Workers may still be on-site during the suspension, and reduced speed limits in work zones will remain in effect. TDOT added that drivers could still be impacted by some long-term lane closures for ongoing construction projects. Drivers are still urged to use caution.
“With so many people driving on and around the Fourth of July, we want to do all we can to ensure they reach their destinations safely and without delays,” said TDOT Commissioner Will Reid, P.E. “We are suspending lane closures during this busy holiday travel time. Be mindful that our HELP Trucks will be on patrol in urban and rural areas and drivers must obey the law by moving over and slowing down for all emergency vehicles on the side of the road.”
AAA predicts more than 1.6 million Tennesseans will travel at least 50 miles from home for the Independence Day between Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, July 5. The company added that this will set a record for Fourth of July travel in Tennessee.
“For many families, traveling for Independence Day isn’t just a trip; it’s a tradition,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Vacations are one category where consumers are still willing to spend, even if that means cutting back on something else. With an extended holiday travel period, we expect busy roads, steady demand for flights, and continued interest in cruises across many parts of the country.”
For those looking to travel over the weekend, join 6 News anchor Bo Williams for our Upcoming Road Work stream on WATE6+ at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays. He will break down traffic conditions, construction projects and events that are expected to impact drivers in East Tennessee over the weekend.
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