Tony Vitello and Hunter Ensley React After Tennessee Baseball’s Loss to Vanderbilt
The Tennessee Volunteers’ SEC Tournament run ended abruptly in the semifinals, as they were defeated in a seven-inning, run-rule loss to in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Volunteers struggled offensively, striking out 11 times and managing just four hits in the lopsided affair. Head coach Tony Vitello and centerfielder Hunter Ensley spoke to the media following the tough loss to reflect on the game and the tournament overall.
Tony Vitello’s Opening Statement:
TONY VITELLO: “It was a poor effort today. Not what anyone expected after an early wake-up, but credit to Vanderbilt. They outplayed us. A lot of things stacked up against us today. It might be due to a bad itinerary on my part leading up to the game, but the guys were energetic going in. Early on, we had issues with ground balls, including a bunt that slipped by us. We could have been quicker or made better pitches, but Vanderbilt executed offensively. There were a couple of innings where we had a chance to make something happen, but we fell short. Overall, we needed to be better in every area.”
Q. Hunter, Tony mentioned in the past few weeks that while the process has been good, the results haven’t followed. Although today’s result wasn’t what you wanted, did you feel like the last two days of play were steps in the right direction?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “Yeah, I thought it was a productive week overall. Obviously, today was tough, and I feel bad for the fans who made the drive down. But we can take a lot of positives from the first two days of the tournament. It’ll be nice to get a few days to rest and get ready for next weekend.”
Q. What did you take away from the weekend, aside from the loss?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “I thought we looked solid against Alabama on Wednesday, and our fight against Texas a couple of days ago was encouraging. We showed more fight than we have in the past few weekends, so I’m confident we can carry that forward.”
Q. Hunter, you said it was a productive week. What made you feel that way?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “Yeah, we had some guys step up on the mound, and I thought Arvidson looked great this weekend. In the first two games, we swung the bats well, and our execution was much better. It’s tough to say that after a game like today, but winning two out of three in a tournament like this is definitely a productive week.”
Q. Hunter, what made Bowker’s pitching so effective in the first few innings, leading to so many swing-and-miss situations?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “Yeah, Bowker’s stuff is pretty good. He sits 92-94 with a fastball that rides well, and he mixes in a cutter, slider, and changeup. He works ahead in the count and locates his pitches well. It makes him tough to hit.”
Q. Given Bowker’s mechanics, how do you plan to adjust heading into the regionals?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “We’ll have to see what comes next. We may not face Bowker again, but if we see a pitcher with similar stuff, we’ll need to work above the ball better and try to get to him earlier in the count.”
Q. You’re in a good position to host next weekend. How would it feel to play at Lindsey Nelson Stadium again?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “It’d be awesome to play at home. I love that stadium. But honestly, it doesn’t matter if we’re home or away. I’m just looking forward to competing again.”
Q. Tony, you’ve mentioned that this team has handled adversity better in recent weeks. What do you think went wrong today?
HUNTER ENSLEY: “Maybe they just landed too many punches. We couldn’t get anything going offensively, and it felt like everything fell apart over the first seven innings. Vanderbilt executed well and hit us where we weren’t. Moving forward, we need to scratch out some runs earlier and stay in the game.”
Q. Tony, you mentioned earlier that maybe there were some itinerary things you’d change. What would those adjustments be if you could do it over again?
TONY VITELLO: “I’m not sure. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly. We were trying to get guys warmed up and ready to go. The energy was there, but maybe the long season and the extra-inning game against Texas caught up to us. You always look back and reflect, and when things don’t go well, you want to adjust. We did everything we could to prepare, and sometimes the outcome just isn’t what you expect.”
Q. You’ve been talking about possibly hosting a regional. Why do you think this team deserves to host, and what would it mean to have postseason baseball in Knoxville?
TONY VITELLO: “It would be great for the fans to have more postseason action at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. It’s been a quirky year, with some bad timing and weather, but we’ve been able to entertain the fans when we had the chance. We’ve beaten some tough teams and done well in the tournament. If we’re fortunate to host, I think it’d be awesome for our players and fans alike. But at this point, we’re going to let the experts decide that. We’ve done what we can, and we’ll just keep getting better as we go into regionals.”
Q. After the Texas game, you mentioned that this team wasn’t just defending the SEC title but pursuing it. What do you want to see from them going forward?
TONY VITELLO: “I want the guys to be eager to keep improving. We’ve got a lot of guys still getting comfortable in their roles. When you face these high-intensity games, it’s important to adjust quickly and be ready for anything. We’ve had some setbacks, but I’m confident this team can continue to make steady progress and improve going forward.”
Q. What are you seeing from Tegan right now, and what adjustments would you like him to make?
TONY VITELLO: “Tegan’s got a great fastball, but today, he lacked conviction with his off-speed pitches. He needs to trust his stuff more and stay ahead in the count. If he can make those adjustments, he’ll be much more effective.”
Q. Finally, your thoughts on the new tournament format now that you’ve gone through it?
TONY VITELLO: “I think it’s been good for the players, and the city has done a fantastic job hosting. It might be the best-run tournament in the country. I don’t have any complaints. The fan turnout is great, and while we had a tough day today, I think it’s been an overall positive experience. For the kids, getting the chance to play in this environment is invaluable.”
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