OMAHA, Nebraska — Tennessee baseball is one win away from reaching the championship series of the 2024 Men’s College World Series. The program is three games away from its first national championship.
The Vols advanced to the finals of Bracket 1 on their side of the eight-man field with a 6-1 victory over North Carolina on Sunday. They’ll return to action on Wednesday afternoon at 3:06 p.m. ET, after a two-day break. With a victory, they would progress to the championship series and compete for the national championship.
Tennessee will play Florida State in a rematch. On Friday night, in both teams’ first game in Omaha, UT won 12-11 in thrilling fashion by scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Following the sad setback, the Seminoles defeated Virginia 7-3 on Sunday and North Carolina 9-5 on Tuesday, winning back-to-back elimination games and advancing out of the loser’s bracket. To advance, they must beat Tennessee on consecutive days.
Rod Delmonico, former Tennessee baseball coach, joined Josh Ward and former Vols receiver Jayson Swain on 99.1 The Sports Animal in Knoxville to discuss the program’s present status.
Delmonico discussed Tony Vitello and Frank Anderson’s work, Christian Moore’s legendary performance, how he has seen Vitello develop as a head coach, his connection with Vitello, and much more. Here’s what Delmonico had to say.
His opinions on what he’s seen from the Tennessee baseball squad thus far this season:
“Well, I’ve been really impressed with their crew. They really have a full team. They have amazing hitting ability. They have the option of stealing a base, but they are not required to do so. Excellent defense, well-coached. Tony has done an incredible job at Tennessee, and I am extremely proud of him. But it did take another Italian to get that thing mended, I must admit.
“And then Frank Anderson, I believe he is one of the best three pitching coaches in the country. He might be the best pitching coach. His pitchers throw three pitches for a strike. You are fully aware that the changeup is your best pitch. And each of his pitchers has three pitches they can throw for a strike. Very competitive.
“This is a complete team. They played North Carolina the other night, and as I’ve seen on TV multiple times, North Carolina is an excellent team, and Tennessee made them seem mediocre. “That is how good Tennessee is.”
If he’s noticed Tony Vitello and Frank Anderson make improvements to their coaching style during the last couple of seasons:
“Well, I guess it’s the law of averages occasionally. You can have a wonderful team, as they did a few years ago, and it still doesn’t go as far as you believe it should. It’s quite competitive out there. Everyone is doing well. And just two teams make it to Omaha. There’s a team that’s overjoyed to be there, and there are a couple other teams who were overjoyed just to be there. And if they do well, they are satisfied.
“Then there is a team that goes on to win the national title. And LSU was very good under Skip Bertman. When they arrived, their goal was to win the national championship. And I believe that is where Tennessee is right now. They are on a mission. The goal is to win the national championship. They’re tired of just being happy to get there; not that they were in the past, but it’s a learning process. And you have two coaches who have been there. They understand how to win. If they listen to their coaches, they will continue to play the way they did the other night. They beat them up the other night. It wasn’t like we were going to play, take the lead, and then cruise. They just moved the conflict out of North Carolina. It made North Carolina appear far inferior than it actually is.”
Why is Frank Anderson so successful at developing pitchers?
“First and foremost, it is a great deal of experience. If you look back in Frank’s coaching history, he turned Texas Tech around and made them a contender. He travels to Texas, and they win the national title. And we’re having trouble winning one under Augie (Garrido), one of the best coaches of all time. Goes at Oklahoma State and performs an excellent job. And then, look, he travels to Houston, and no one knows who Houston is. We just knew one thing about Houston: the Houston Rockets. And suddenly you have a baseball team with first-round draft picks.
Leave a Reply