Q&A with Tony Vitello, Part 2: Previewing Tennessee baseball’s new-look pitching staff and coaching staff

Tony Vitello chats with GoVols247 about the state of Tennessee Baseball as it enters fall practice coming off of its first national championship.

Fall practice is underway for Tennessee baseball coming off its first ever national championship this past June. The Vols hit the field within the last week to begin work on defending their title.

It’s a new-look group of Volunteers after becoming the first SEC team to reach the 60-win mark in a single season and just the fourth conference team to win the SEC regular season title, SEC Tournament title and the NCAA Men’s College World Series in the same year. Hunter Ensley and Dean Curley are the only two returning starters amongst the position players, and all three starting rotation spots are up for grabs, in addition to several key bullpen roles.

GoVols247 chatted with Tony Vitello this week to get a sense on the state of his program heading into his eighth season on Rocky Top. In Part 2 of our two-part Q&A with Vitello, we discussed the additions of Ole Miss transfer Liam Doyle, Kennesaw State transfer Tanner Franklin and JUCO signee Brandon Arvidson, whether he would like to transition Nate Snead to the starting rotation, how excited he is for his group of freshmen pitchers and why this fall is an important one for his coaching staff as much as it is for his new-look roster.