Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello and his players shared their thoughts on the dramatic walk-off victory in the College World Series.
OMAHA, Neb. — Tennessee baseball secured a dramatic victory in their College World Series opener on Friday night.
Despite walking nine batters and committing three errors, the Vols triumphed with a 12-11 walk-off win over Florida State, advancing to the winner’s bracket. The thrilling game saw Tennessee come back from a deficit of up to five runs.
Here is what head coach Tony Vitello and the Vols had to say about the walk-off win.
Kavares Tears
“It’s just Burke being Burke and Dylan being Dylan. They’ve been performing consistently all season and ever since they joined…
“This demonstrates our mutual trust and the commitment we have from everyone on the team. Our lineup started at the sixth spot and worked its way back to the fourth. This shows that we went in with a plan and everyone stuck to it.”
Billy Amick
“It’s hard to know. Obviously, this sport kind of sucks, but like I said, we never lose confidence in ourselves and we always know we have a shot to win the game.”
Blake Burke
“I blacked out. I remember swinging at the end of my bat, thinking it would go right into his glove, but it went past…
“I just wanted to turn around and celebrate with my teammates. It was a moment of pure joy.”
“… We’re a very gritty team. When we take the field, we always believe we can put up any number on the scoreboard. We’re not aiming for a 6 spot; we’re focused on winning each pitch. We threw a bunch of jabs all game and then landed that big punch in the ninth inning.”
Dylan Dreiling
“With this offense we’re always one inning away. That’s kind of our motto this year. And we just had a belief that a big inning was coming and just trusting each other.”
Christian Moore
“Throughout the entire game, my only focus is on winning, getting on base for my team, and setting the tone. With strong hitters following me, my goal is to get on base for them…
“As for that last at-bat, I just wanted to keep fighting. With two outs and down to my last strike, it was a battle, one-on-one. This time, I came out on top.”
Head coach Tony Vitello
“Obviously both teams get a lot of credit for putting on a show for the fans. My understanding is the game prior to ours was like that, too, and that’s what this place is about. And it’s why we get the crowds that we do here. It’s why this sport has grown into what it is.”
