Connect with us

Tennessee

Tony Vitello is the fastest coach to reach the 300-win mark in Tennessee baseball history

Published

on

Tony Vitello is the fastest coach to reach the 300-win mark in Tennessee baseball history


Tony Vitello is the fastest coach in Tennessee baseball history to reach the 300-win mark.

The Vols coach recorded his 300th win Friday in Tennessee’s 5-1 victory against Samford. He reached the mark in 412 games, topping coach Rod Delmonico’s mark of 300 wins in 501 games. Vitello reached the 300-win mark less than two years after he reached the 200-win mark. He got win No. 200 against Gonzaga on March 4, 2023.

No. 2 Tennessee is 5-0 to start the season after Vitello entered the season with 295 wins.

Advertisement

Vitello is in his eighth season as the Vols coach, his first head coaching job. He was hired in June 2017 after serving as the Arkansas hitting coach.

The St. Louis native led Tennessee to its first national title in 2024. The Vols became the first team in SEC history to win 60 games when it topped Texas A&M in the three-game College World Series finals.

The Vols have three 50-win seasons under Vitello. They went 57-9 in the 2022 season after going 50-18 in the 2021 season.

Vitello was 29-27 in his first season in 2018. The Vols broke through in 2019 to go 40-21 and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. They started the 2020 season 15-2 before the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advertisement

They have been to the College World Series in three of the four seasons since. Tennessee reached Omaha in 2021 for its first trip under Vitello. It went back in 2023, when it was 44-22 and won a game in the CWS for the first time since 2001.

UT was the No. 1 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It rolled through the Knoxville Regional in three games and beat Evansville in a three-game Knoxville Super Regional to go back to Omaha. The Vols went 3-0 in the first portion of the CWS before facing Texas A&M in the finals. They lost the first game before winning the second two in the best-of-three finals to win the national title.

Tennessee also won the SEC regular-season title and the SEC Tournament title in 2024, sweeping the crowns for the second time in three seasons. It achieved the feat in 2022.

Advertisement

The Vols have the most wins in the country in the past five seasons with 226. They have the a national-leading .779 winning percentage in that five-year span.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com 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.





Source link

Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

Published

on

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.

“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.

“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.

Advertisement

Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.

“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.

McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.

“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.

Advertisement

“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.

Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.

“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.

Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.

The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Tennessee

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

Published

on

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee


FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.

The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.

“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Tennessee

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Published

on

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee


Sam Purcell felt good about the game plan for Mississippi State women’s basketball’s matchup with Tennessee.

But the Bulldogs gave up 26 points in the first quarter and trailed by seven points. It was a deficit they never recovered from in a 90-80 loss to the Lady Vols at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8.

“You look at that that first quarter, I thought it was crucial. We had a great scout, a great game plan, but we didn’t talk on ball screens,” Purcell said. “Their largest quarter was that first quarter, and we’re going to watch back and go, dang it, we need to be more vocal. And you got to give them credit – top to bottom, they’re probably as good as anybody in the country with athleticism. So you can’t let those athletic kids turn the corner for wide open layups, and we did.”

Advertisement

Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Francis led the Bulldogs with 22 points each, but MSU didn’t have enough defense to pull off the upset.

Had Mississippi State been able to slow down Tennessee’s drivers in the first quarter, it may have been a different result. But once the Bulldogs started slowing that down, the Lady Vols were “phenomenal hitting some big-time shots,” Purcell said.

Tennessee only had the edge in points in the paint, 42-40, but it also went 10-for-27 on 3-pointers, which was an area Mississippi State couldn’t match. The Bulldogs shot 2-for-13 from deep.

Advertisement

MSU also couldn’t stop Tennessee freshman point guard Mia Pauldo, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Bulldogs sent her to the foul line time and time again, and she went 8-for-9 on free throws.

“I thought (Pauldo) was poised, she was clutch,” Purcell said. “Obviously, that’s what you need in games like this that are gonna come down the to the wire. You need players to step up, and I thought she was the X factor for them.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending