You Might Not Like Them, But Tennessee Winning A National Championship Is Great For College Baseball's Future

OMAHA, NE- Tony Vitello took off down the third-base line and jumped into the arms of Tennessee fans after celebrating at midfield with his players following the final out of the College World Series. For the fans watching at home or celebrating in the stands, the moment of pure joy had finally arrived. 

Thousands of folks ran from different parts of the stadium to join the section of Tennessee fans that were caught up in a frenzy of emotions. If you heard anything on Monday night when the final out was recorded, it was a gasp of excitement, and relief, for a group of fans that had bought into college baseball in Knoxville under head coach Tony Vitello. 

If there is any fanbase in the country that catches more flack regarding expectations for its teams on a college campus, I would love to hear an argument as to who stands in front of Tennessee. For one night in Omaha, it was all worth it, as second-baseman Christian Moore ran into the arms of his teammates as Texas A&M players exited the field in disappointment. 

Tennesse fans celebrate after its baseball team won the College World Series and National Championship Via: Trey Wallace

But, there is a silver lining to the story of the Aggies as well, and it centers around the growth of college baseball, and for that, both teams should feel proud of what was accomplished over the past ten days in Omaha. As much as they don't want to hear it right now, Texas A&M fans helped make the atmosphere the past three days something to remember, along with the teams that have played in the championship series before tonight. 

Tennessee first baseman Blake Burke ran off the field and into the arms of his family behind the plate. Assistant coach Frank Anderson grabbed Jason Elander and Tony Vitello, embracing outside the dugout, trying to wrap their brains around what they had just done. 

"Very surreal. Hard to center yourself, which is a good thing, being lost in the moment, I guess," Tony Vitello said postgame, caught in a flurry of emotions. "Nothing too intelligent to say other than the first thing to say is I hope the fans that have turned this into an insane party, insane event, got the series that they wanted and that they deserved."

Tennessee's Blake Burke ran into the crowd to celebrate with his family following the national championship win. Via: Trey Wallace

There were moments in the ninth-inning that I promise you all Tennessee supporters thought it was about to go up in flames, based on the fact the fans of the Vols have been letdown in other sports in the past. But, Monday night was different, as Tennessee found a way to hold-off the Aggies rally and allow those fans to exhale. A moment that has been coming together for almost six years finally came to fruition, and if it weren't for Tennessee fans buying into college baseball under Tony Vitello, I highly doubt they'd be celebrating a championship. 

For all the ‘Peyton Manning Jinx’ talk, or the fact that the 2022 team came up short after becoming the biggest villains in college sports, the dark cloud had finally disappeared from above the Tennessee athletic department. 

"We had unfinished business, especially this being the third time we've been here in the last four years," Tennessee starting pitcher Zander Sechrist said postgame. "2021 we didn't do well. 2022 you could arguably say that was the best college baseball team ever. 2023 we got to experience winning at least a game here, but the job wasn't finished. And '24 just felt a little different. And I'm just blessed today get the job done."

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24:  Head coach Tony Vitello (C) of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with fans after defeating the Texas A&M Aggies for the national championship in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship on June 24, 2024 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.  (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)

Tennessee Baseball Proves That You Can Rebuild, With Fans Buying In

Tennessee's Josh Heupel and Rick Barnes made their way down to the field following the final out, joined by legends Chris Burke and Peyton Manning, all sharing hugs, congratulating every baseball player they could find in the sea of commotion. I looked over to my right and saw mega-agent Jimmy Sexton hugging Vitello, both celebrating the win, but also knowing that contract numbers had already been agreed to, so things could keep heading in an upward trajectory in Knoxville. 

Who knows where things will actually go in the future. We've all seen how previous national champions do in the following year, thanks to a weird trend. And yes, there are fans that hate Tennessee baseball with passion, but the Vols winning a national championship is good for the game, just as it would have been if Texas A&M had pulled off the comeback. 

We need fresh blood in this sport, and the thousands of new fans that come with it. For someone who enjoys this game, more so than any MLB contest, having different teams win the title is a wonderful way to grow the sport, and I'm sure the ratings will reflect that whenever they come out. 

And guess what? Having the so-called ‘villians’ wi a championship is how a great television writer would put together the script. At the same time, you could tell from the start of this season that this wasn't the same type of ‘villian’ that fans came together to root against in 2022 when the Vols lost to Notre Dame in the Super Regionals. 

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 24:  Pitcher Aaron Combs #28 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with catcher Cal Stark #10 after defeating the Texas A&M Aggies to win the National Championship at the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship on June 24, 2024 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.  (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)

This was a mature team that had to find its own identity, not trying to replicate what that squad in 2022 did, and how they approached each game, or how they acted. The word ‘unity’ was thrown around a lot by Tony Vitello throughout this season, and there's a reason why his group of players bought into his culture at Tennessee, which Zander Sechrist mentioned postgame. 

"The man's like a father figure, to be honest," Sechrist explained. "I was blessed enough to have him recruit me. Growing up in a single-mother household and talking to this man mostly every day and every week, he was just like a father figure to me. I went on my recruiting visits and I bought a hat here in the alumni Vol shop. I go back home and I realize that out of all the recruiting visits, the only thing I bought was a Tennessee hat.

"It just felt like home. I'm glad that we finally, finally got it done."

Tony Vitello celebrates with his family after Tennessee won the College World Series national championship. Via: Trey Wallace

Soaking In The Moment, Tennessee Finishes Its Story With Title

As the grounds crew started working to blow all the confetti off the field postgame, Vitello made his way back out onto the field following his press conference. There weren't many folks left, but the head coach had to soak up the moment on the sacred field for just a little bit longer. Grabbing an empty water bottle from the dugout, he made his way to the homeplate area to grab as much dirt as he could fit into the plastic container, wanting to take home a piece of Omaha with him. 

As he stood there for a minute, taking in the moment, while officials were letting him know that the buses were headed back to the team hotel for a celebration, you could tell a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. But the story of Tennessee baseball is only getting started, with an athletic department investing millions into a new stadium, along with a new contract for Vitello. 

But none of this would be possible if it weren't for the community rallying around a young head coach who can get under the skin of opposing teams, who isn't shy about his Italian upbringing, which usually comes with him not holding back or tempering his words. 

Tony Vitello signed autographs for fans after Tennessee captured its first national championship in college baseball. 

So when the team had finally gotten to the buses, they waited as their head coach made his way out of the stadium. Almost ninety minutes after the game had ended, hundreds of fans were waiting outside the exit for Vitello, hoping to get a picture or autograph with the head coach. In true Vitello fashion, he signed just about every item that was thrown in front of him by young kids dressed in orange. 

He wasn't going to leave until they forced him to get on that bus. So when he speaks about the Tennessee community, and what it has done to change his life, he's being his honest self. In reality, the marriage between the Vols fan base and the Vitello family is one that couldn't have come at a better time for a school looking to recapture that baseball magic. 

"I've been blown away by how friendly everybody is, how involved everybody is. And loyalty is a very important word to everybody, but especially to an Italian fella, and I don't know that there's a more loyal fan base and really just community when you're in that state."