Randy Smith
I absolutely enjoy watching Tennessee baseball especially this time of year and the win over Wake Forest on Monday evening was really a lot of fun. The crowd at Lindsey Nelson Stadium was electric and the post victory celebration on the field warmed my heart. Coach Tony Vitello jumping into the arms of pitcher Liam Doyle after Doyle shut down the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest in the final couple of innings proved one thing at least....Coach " V " is loved by all his players and everyone wants to play for him.
That's why he's considered to be an elite recruiter.
In the beginning, I felt as if Wake Forest had the momentum after the win over Tennessee on Sunday and would actually win the series. I should have known better. Slugger Andrew Fisher got the crowd going with his 450 foot bomb and then it was Liam Doyle's turn to ignite the Big Orange faithful with his nearly 100 miles per hour fast ball in the late innings. The fans cheered with every strike and why not? Even with the win, it was likely going to be the last chance to watch their heroes play at home. Now it's onto Arkansas and a Super Regional match up with SEC rival Arkansas.
I wonder if the Volunteer fans would have been even rowdier if they had known that Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter had referred to the Vols' Andrew Fisher as something that was totally disgusting....a phrase that was lip-read by everyone who was watching on television. It was a phrase that caused both Coach Walter and Athletic Director John Currie to issue apologies on Tuesday.
It appears that a lot of teams don't like Tennessee. Wake Forest isn't the only team to either insult the Volunteers or get into it with them. Vandy doesn't like them at all but that's pretty much in every sport. Coach " V " has stated many times he doesn't mind being the " bad guy "He gets ejected a few times during the year and this season he actually bumped an umpire while arguing a call.
There is no argument that he is a fiery coach with a little bit of a temper and a whole lot of passion....for the game of baseball and his team. That passion carries over to the fan base and makes it very hard to win in Knoxville. Heading into Saturday's game at Arkansas, Tennessee is 46-17 on the season and it's doubtful they can repeat as national champs. However there is no question the Vols are a lot of fun to watch. The game on Saturday begins at 5:00 in Fayetteville.
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