Omaha, Neb. – Tony Vitello freed his hand.
A Tennessee baseball coach threw a handful of dirt into the third-base dugout at Charles Schwab Field. His father, Greg, climbed the stairs amid tossed dirt and found waiting arms.
Vitello held her tight during the most precious moments of her profession’s greatest night, a lesson she had learned from watching her father.
On a steamy summer night, the Vols sat on a crest that seemed unattainable seven years ago, seemed inevitable two years ago, and seemed absolutely unmatched on Monday. They are national champions, the last team standing in the College World Series for the first time in program history and the culmination of a rapid restoration under the tutelage of Tony Vitello.
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“It’s a beautiful day to be here,” said Vols superstar Christian Moore, who had long since forgotten how many times he started crying.
Tennessee defeated Texas A&M, 6–5, in a thrilling Game 3 of the College World Series finals that seemed safe after a mid-innings blowout from the Vols, but did not settle until Aaron Combs’ breaking ball missed the bat of Texas A&M’s Ted Burton. And catcher Cal Stark’s glove was found.
The Vols flooded the field, rolling into the outfield, turning down the signature dogpile of the national champions.
Why does everyone else do what they do? The Vitello-led Vols made it their way and they celebrated it their way.
Blake Burke singled out Vitello from third base. Moore joined in and the three hung out together, Tennessee’s two key men enjoying a unique three-year tenure with their incredible leader.
“He has so much passion for us that he makes us want to play hard,” said Drew Beam, another three-year leadoff pitcher for the Vols. “Other teams and other fans can say whatever they want, but when a coach is willing to fight the battle for you, it makes you play harder and you want it more.”
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Take the decisive moment as a definitive example. Staggering outfielder Hunter Ensley pushed his ailing hamstring to its maximum strength, dodging at third base without thinking about slowing down. He saw shortstop Dean Curley signaling where to slide and reacted, causing his body to curve around the tag and onto the plate.
Moore called it a football game on a baseball diamond. Ensley called it necessary.
“You’d almost have to amputate my leg to keep me from coming here and playing these last three games,” Ensley said.
That slide capped the stretch that most defined the title-clinching victory. It started when a grounder flew over Burke and headed for right field. But Burke didn’t hear the cheers, saying it reached the outfield. Moore saved the day by running after Burke and picking up the volleys.
Adams:Tennessee baseball went from the bottom of the SEC to the top in the country. adams
Dylan Dreiling, as he has done in all College World Series, let his bat do the talking. He hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning for the third time in the finals.
Ensley entered Vols history two batters later, launching his helmet in joy, and bringing tears to the eyes of Peyton Manning who remained on the field hours later. He was a member of the Tennessee Titans along with Rick Barnes and Josh Heupel. Moore shouted through the crowd, “Where’s Morgan Wallen?”
Moore had another question.
How many days ago was he yelling in the Tennessee dugout to inspire a ninth-inning rally against Florida State in the CWS opener?
It was 10 days ago when he shouted, “Let’s fight!”
Just two days ago, Beam had again stepped into his leadership role. After the Vols lost Game 1 of the CWS Finals, he wrote a four-word message to his teammates on GroupMe titled “Do It Lose.”
“Just another day,” Beam wrote before everyone went to sleep.
Some teammates jokingly asked him to keep quiet. But no one questioned the meaning. The Vols did not lose again, playing one more day, then another, and pitcher Xander Secrist cemented his legacy in what he called the greatest game in Tennessee history.
Secrist and Kirby Connell – the team’s beloved duo – doused Vitello with a Gatorade bath. Curly put his arm around his mother on the sideline of the infield and looked at the scoreboard.
Meghan Anderson, a support staffer with the baseball program, stood on the grass of the field amid it all. She is a native of Omaha, and her late mother Marcia sent Vitello a wooden baseball placard with the mile numbers painted between Knoxville and Omaha. It still stands in Vitello’s office.
It’s likely another piece of memorabilia from Omaha will join it soon.
Vitello walked toward the dirt behind home plate, bent down, and plucked another handful from among the confetti. He lost track of the grass he had saved from the high school state championship.
He was not letting the shit go.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @by mikewilson, If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will give you access to all of these
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