The world was watching June 24 as Tennessee defeated Texas A&M to capture its first national title in the baseball program’s history. Behind the scenes and on the field, Knox News was tirelessly working to capture the biggest moments throughout the Vols’ quest for gold. 

Brianna Paciorka, visual journalist at Knox News and producer of “The Scruffy Stuff” podcast, was in the middle of the action throughout the championship weekend. Her job: photograph history. The tireless work paid off with incredible shots that illustrate the excitement and emotions surrounding the Tennessee win. 

Paciorka recently joined host Ryan Wilusz on “The Scruffy Stuff” to discuss how she approached this historical assignment, what was going through her head as the final game was winding down, and why seeing the confetti fall was also a career highlight for her. 

Below, you’ll find an edited transcript of their discussion on “The Scruffy Stuff,” an award-winning podcast about downtown Knoxville with new episodes each Tuesday.

This episode is available in its entirety through the podcast player, below.

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How Knox News captured Tennessee’s win at College World Series

Ryan Wilusz: What did you have to do to prepare for something like this?

Brianna Paciorka: I actually (hadn’t) been to Omaha before. But as I’ve said on other episodes, I’m from Louisiana. I graduated from LSU. LSU actually won the College World Series last year, so I totally understand how special Omaha is and the College World Series. … It was a wild trip. I didn’t find out that I was going until after they won the second game that first Sunday. So, it was like a mad dash to figure out what my travel plans were, packing up everything. … Of course, you don’t know how long you’re going to be there. You could be there for two games. I was there for five games. Having to pack enough clothes and all the items and then all of your camera equipment, which is very stressful − it was a lot.

Ryan: What was it like getting to be part of it in a way that other people don’t get to?

Brianna: They had where (the teams enter) into the stadium and the locker rooms kind of close to where the photo room was where we were editing photos. If we weren’t out there taking photos of them arriving on the buses, we could hear the teams arriving. They’d come in with a boombox, they’re playing loud hip-hop music. You could hear them getting all pumped up for the games. … There was a practice on Friday before the finals where both teams got some time on the actual field to practice. And it’s kind of fun to sit there and listen to the the type of music that they have playing during batting practice and seeing them laugh and have fun as they’re fielding balls and swinging their bats in the batting cage.

Ryan: What about any insights being around Tony Vitello?

Brianna: I noticed that a lot of the times that I photographed him the most were times where there were fans nearby, like him getting off of the bus or him after Game 3 and everything. And what really struck me is that he really did take time to acknowledge fans. He got off the bus, he threw up some fingers acknowledging the fans. He did go out of his way to try to fist-bump fans on the way into the stadium. After the (final game) … he walked out kind of close to the Tennessee bullpen. Some fans were yelling out to him, and some actually convinced him to take their cellphone and do some selfies and stuff.

Ryan: Baseball is a slow-paced game overall but fast-paced in the moment when a play is actually happening. I’m wondering, through your eyes, what you’re looking for … when you’re shooting a game like this, and anything that was going through your head when you’re taking these shots − with also the mindset that this is your job to document history. I don’t know if you think about that actively when you’re doing it. But how did you approach this?

Brianna: Leading up to the games, I get messages from various people above me who are like, “We need you to get certain kinds of photos because we’re planning on doing poster prints.” … There were things I knew I had to get. I’m also, admittedly, a very anxious person. So the whole time, at least on Monday, it was just trying to tell myself this is just like another game because otherwise I was going to psyche myself up, which was probably a good thing. Because if you watched that last inning of the game on (June 24), going into that last inning it was like, “Yeah, they’re gonna win, they’re gonna win.” And then all of a sudden it was like, “Uhh maybe not.” So it was a lot of just like, “Oh my gosh, do I have to change my plan and everything?”

Having some knowledge for baseball helps to get the actual game photos. But also, Tennessee is a very emotional team. They show a lot of emotion. So, it’s a lot of not only just sitting there and taking photos of the action, but just keep taking photos as things happen because they are going to celebrate in some way in doing that. And that’s where the best photos are.

Ryan: What was your favorite moment you were able to capture while you were out there?

Brianna: Three come to mind immediately if I could give three. The first one, it was actually our front-page photo on (June 24). It’s the photo of Christian Moore hugging Dylan Dreiling at home plate after Dreiling hit that two-run home run that basically secured the win on (June 23). That was probably one of them. I knew going into the game that I needed to get a front-page, poster print, vertical photo. And as soon as … I got that photo and I realized it was in focus − there were no ESPN cameras in my way or anything … I immediately texted Saul Young, who was catching my photos here in Knoxville, and I was like: “This is our poster photo. This is what’s going on the front page.”

Ryan: Not only did I see the excitement of that moment, but I also saw the exhaustion.

Brianna: Christian Moore looks very relieved and very just like, “Oh my gosh, we did it.” …

Another one I really loved, I took a photo − it’s a wider shot. It has the players at the bottom, and you see the confetti at the top. And right in the middle, you see Drew Beam, and he’s looking up and his hand is up in the sky like he’s trying to catch confetti. And then you just see all these smiling faces. And I really love that photo.

And then I guess my third one would probably be, and it was in our special section … you open it up, and it’s a double-page photo. And it’s of the team sitting on the ground. You see the confetti on the ground. They’re all watching highlights playing on the scoreboard. And you see the stadium, it says, “Charles Schwab Field Omaha.” You see some of the names of the fellow Omaha teams, and everyone’s smiling and they’re holding their individual trophies. It’s not like a showy piece, but you can see … it’s like that first moment that they’ve really got to just sit down as a team and get to actually see the highlights of their trip in Omaha. … It looks beautiful blown up.

Ryan: Anything else you can do to pull back the curtain for behind-the-scenes highlights from your trip?

Brianna: If you are a baseball fan and you have the chance to go to Omaha, you have to go. It’s a beautiful stadium. One of the highlights, best parts − and honestly a career highlight for me − was during Game 1 of the final series. I know it was a loss, but there was the most beautiful sunset for that game. Skies were just like a beautiful shade of blue and pink, and the lights were on the field. They always talk about how baseball is just like the most beautiful sport. That night was just like unbelievably magical in that moment. …

The whole city embraces the College World Series. There was a coffee shop that Mike (Wilson) and I went to almost every single day. And once the finals came around and it was Tennessee and Texas A&M, their tip jar was like, “Who do you think is going to win?” with the logos of both teams. Anywhere we went, people were talking about the College World Series. They were selling special items for it. I bought a shirt that says, “The best baseball is in Omaha.”

Ryan: We cover a lot of things (as journalists). And sometimes, things that seem very exciting to the average person may seem a little bit more routine to us just because you’ve shot games before, you’ve written stories before, gone behind the scenes before. Did you feel anything different inside of you?

Brianna: It kind of felt like an out-of-body experience. Because I’m in that work mode … but also realizing that Rick Barnes was on the field and Josh Heupel was there and Peyton Manning was there, and they’re all excited. And you see all the players are excited. The fans are going crazy. In the moment, I was definitely aware that it was a big deal. There’s a picture of me where I just have confetti all over my legs from kneeling on the ground and taking photos.

But afterward when you’re sitting in that photo room editing photos and you just realize: “Wow. We’re going to have front pages that are going to be sold out. People are going to want this.” And then just getting random comments from people saying how great the photos are. And just kind of realizing that yeah it’s sports, but at the same time this is a big moment in Tennessee sports history and for Knoxville. …

Just seeing the response from people and realizing how much people enjoy my photos and realizing that, yes I did do a really good job − that feels really good. I’m getting a little emotional thinking about it. I’m not a Tennessee fan. So, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really mean as much to me as other people. But knowing that fans think I did a really good job means a lot, more so than my own bosses saying stuff.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff. 

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