Tony Vitello praises Tennessee’s lineup for their impressive battle against Shea Sprague
Shea Sprague has had an impressive season for North Carolina, but Tennessee managed to overpower him Sunday night in the College World Series.
The Volunteers scored four runs in four innings against Sprague, resulting in only his second loss of the year. Following the game, Tennessee coach Tony Vitello praised his offense for their performance against the left-hander, who was forced out of the game early.
“I think the one thing you’d be remiss if you didn’t point out is Sprague is so good,” Vitello said.
“He’s kind of their Drew Beam. I don’t mean to speak for them, but just kind of watching and looking at the numbers, he’s incredibly consistent. He’s a strike-thrower. But some of those outs did not come very easily for him.”
The pivotal moment for Tennessee occurred in the fourth inning when Kavares Tears hit a three-run home run, giving the Vols a 3-0 lead. Even before that, Tennessee was effectively making Sprague work hard.
A notable at-bat in the first inning came from Blake Burke, who fouled off four pitches before eventually striking out, catching the attention of coach Vitello.
“Even Burke struck out in the first inning, but it might have been a 10-pitch at-bat. And it allowed our guys to see what was going on,” Vitello said. “We’ve told our guys that any one of them might be able to contribute for us.
“When everyone is involved and trying to contribute, you end up with situations where we’re leaning on Sprague a bit, and eventually, someone was able to get to him. That’s how I would explain it.”
Tennessee ended the game with seven hits from six different batters. Four of those hits came from the six, seven, and eight hitters in the lineup, including a pair of hits by Tears.
With solid pitching and strong defense, that was all it took for Tennessee to secure another win at the College World Series.
“I think when you have the best athletes playing defense behind some of the best arms in the country, runs are always going to be difficult to get,” Vitello said.
Tennessee is now 2-0 in Omaha as they continue their quest for a national title. The Vols will face either North Carolina or Florida State on Wednesday at the College World Series, with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
