Tag: baseball

Tony Vitello discusses 2020 Vols and ‘time they were given opportunity to play’

2020 Tennessee baseball.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee’s baseball team started the 2020 season 15-2.

The Vols were set to open SEC play March 13 at South Carolina before the season ended abruptly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Third-year Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello discussed his team and the shortened season — a campaign that showed the Vols defeating No. 1 Texas Tech and fans packing Lindsey Nelson Stadium in support throughout 14  home games.

“Vol Nation is a pretty powerful group,” Vitello told Vols Wire.

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Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Last year Vitello guided the UT program to its first NCAA postseason since 2005. Energy and excitement surrounded the program entering the 2020 season — something that was lacking upon his arrival in 2018.

“There was a buzz this season and I thought there were a lot of things that went in the right direction last year,” Vitello said. “You felt like when we first got the job we were just kind of a footnote. Baseball goes on, but it hasn’t done this in the past. We just wanted to be part of that group. I think we have done that.

“I think what showed was that two of our best crowds were basketball game days and we were fortunate enough to get spillover fans that went to the basketball game and wanted to see what we had going on. Then two, there were other days that were not tied to basketball and we had really good crowds, especially for weather that was not incredibly attractive for people to come sit and watch.”

Tennessee 2020 baseball
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

The Vols finished 40-21 and competed in the Chapel Hill Regional of the NCAA Tournament last season. It was an improvement on a 29-27 first-year campaign in 2018 for Vitello.

Through only 17 games in 2020, Vitello saw his team continue to provide “significant change and progress in the right direction” for the Tennessee baseball program.

“This year was one that I thought was a group of guys that was going to catapult us into a category that we wanted to be in, a program where top recruits could consider us. A program where we should expect to be in the postseason, not just celebrated, but expected every year. One that has everyone’s attention on social media, one where we get very good SEC-level crowds at our games. I feel our group did that for the 17 games — the time they were given the opportunity to play — and then the rest was put on hold.

“Everyone is frustrated with the situation. There are so many unknowns in the world, and in the sporting world the one thing you can look at is that we did miss out on a little bit of progress. In those 17 games there was significant change and progress in the right direction by that group.”

Watch: Trey Mancini Thankful for Support Post-Surgery

Saturday the Orioles outfielder released the following video on Twitter, thanking fans for all their well-wishes and messages during this tough time

Former Notre Dame baseball player and current Baltimore Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini underwent surgery this week to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. There is no word on how long he’ll be sidelined, not like that feels important at this point.

Saturday the Orioles outfielder released the following video on Twitter, thanking fans for all their well-wishes and messages during this tough time.

Mancini last played on March 2 before exiting the Orioles vs. Rays game after two at bats.

Mancini’s 35 home runs and 99 RBI in 2019 both led the Orioles.

Get well soon, 16!

Texas baseball, softball seasons end; year of eligibility added

There is now no chance for the Texas baseball and softball programs to continue play at a later date this season.

Rather than cancelling the season entirely, many were hopeful that the Big 12 Conference would leave the door open to continue play in a few weeks for the baseball and softball programs.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. According to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, the Big 12 officially announced that there would be no games played for the remainder of the season.

Both programs were off to an impressive start to the 2020 season. Texas baseball ended with an overall 14-3 record and was one week away from starting conference play. The Longhorns were scheduled to travel to Norman on March 20 to face the Oklahoma Sooners.

Several baseball teams within the Big 12 looked stout throughout the early part of the season. There was a legitimate chance for six teams to represent the Big 12 in the postseason. Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma and TCU finished atop the final conference rankings, with Oklahoma State and West Virginia close behind.

Arguably the most dominant team in all of Texas athletics this season, softball ended the year with an impressive 24-3 overall record. In her final appearance on the mound last week, senior Miranda Elish pitched a perfect game. Texas defeated the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation on back-to-back nights, which propelled the Longhorns to the No. 1 team in the nation according to Softball America.

Not only was Texas softball in a great position to take home the Big 12 conference title, they were a favorite to win the College World Series.

The NCAA officially announced the intent to add an extra year of eligibility to seniors who were not able to finish out the season. The details remain in the works, but having a chance to finish their collegiate careers on their own terms is a great place to start.

The public health and safety is top priority amid the Coronavirus outbreak, but it’s understandably an emotional period for college athletes who have dedicated countless hours into this season.

NCAA grants spring season athletes an extra year of eligibility

The NCAA announced student-athletes for spring sports will be granted a waiver for an additional season of eligibility after coronavirus.

Due to the unprecedented affects and uncertainties of the coronavirus, the NCAA shut down the balance of winter sports and cancelled all spring sports this week.

Now the NCAA has announced that student-athletes for spring sports will be granted a waiver for an additional season of eligibility.

“Council leadership agreed that eligibility relief is appropriate for all Divisiion I student-athletes who participated in spring sports,” the NCAA released in a statement. “Details of eligibility relief will be finalized at a later time. Additional issues with the NCAA rules must be addressed, and appropriate governance bodies will work through those in the coming days and weeks.”

The coronavirus is an unprecedented event and to the credit of the NCAA, took immediate and unprecedented measures. Granting the relief to student-athletes does create several logisitcal issues and costs could be substantial. With every sport having scholarship limits, the NCAA will have to elevate scholarship limits for the next four years.

And who and how will that extra year of scholarships be paid by? Most athletic programs are underwater financially and don’t have the means to fund additional scholarships. Will the NCAA step in and help fund those programs?

As for winter sports, particularly men’s and women’s basketball, the committee “will also discuss issues related to seasons of competition” for those athletes who were not able to play in conference and NCAA championships.

With the exception of women’s tennis, spring sport athletes are overwhelmingly on equivalency scholarships and thus additional seasons of playing eligibility would come with an additional cost not only to their athletic departments or the NCAA, should it finance the cost, but to the athletes and their families.

Irish in MLB: Trey Mancini Undergoes Successful Surgery

A surprise last week in MLB’s spring training came from Baltimore Orioles camp where veteran Trey Mancini left camp, taking an unexpected leave.  Today we found out why exactly the former Notre Dame baseball player had to step away from the game.

A surprise last week in MLB’s spring training came from Baltimore Orioles camp where veteran Trey Mancini left camp, taking an unexpected leave.  Today we found out why exactly the former Notre Dame baseball player had to step away from the game.

After discovering a malignant tumor during a colonoscopy last week, Mancini had successful surgery to remove the tumor today.

In a statement released by the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, Mancini was thankful for the support from the team, fans, and supporters.

“The outpouring of love and support I have received has made an extremely tough week so much better,” Mancini said. “I have the best family, friends, fans and teammates imaginable. I am also eternally thankful for the Orioles front office, our athletic trainers and the entire medical staff for everything they have done to help me during this time. Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words, which have furthered my excitement to get back to playing the game I love.”

There is no timetable set for Mancini to return to the club and with MLB suspending spring training operations as of Thursday afternoon, it’s hard to have any idea when play may resume.  The good news is Mancini was aware something was amiss and all was handled well by all parties.

Mancini played at Notre Dame from 2011-2013, hitting .297 and 28 home runs in that time.  The Orioles selected him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.  Mancini led the Orioles in doubles, home runs, RBI, OBP, slugging percentage and total bases.

Texas baseball’s weekend series against New Mexico canceled

Texas’ weekend series against New Mexico will be canceled. The Lobos were scheduled to play games in Austin on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Like many sports across the country, Texas’ weekend series against New Mexico will be canceled. The Lobos were scheduled to come to Austin and play games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The news broke when the Mountain West Conference announced they had suspended baseball season until further notice. While the Big 12 has not done the same, an announcement of similar nature is expected soon.

Up until this point of the season, the Longhorns were 14-3 and riding a four-game winning streak. Conference play was slated to begin on March 20 with Texas traveling to Oklahoma.

With many sporting events throughout the country being suspended or canceled, Texas fans can only wait until the Big 12 has made an official announcement on the status of spring sports.

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ACC Suspends All Athletic Competitions

It’s not just spring football or the NCAA Tournament but now the ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities.  The conference released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

It’s not just spring football or the NCAA Tournament but now the ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities.  The conference released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

“The Atlantic Coast Conference has suspended all athletic-related activities including all competition, formal and organized practice, recruiting and participation in NCAA championships until further notice. The decision was made following consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19.”

ACC Commissioner John Swofford added the following:

“This is uncharted territory and the health and safety of our student-athletes and institutions remain our top priority. This decision is aimed to protect from the further spread of COVID-19.” 

It’s not surprising but I know I’m not the only one wondering right now, how long?  Will it be a couple weeks, a couple months or will it be something that goes all the way until football season and beyond?

I don’t know.

You don’t know.

The guy yelling on your TV doesn’t know either.

Take care of yourselves and each other in the meantime.  If you haven’t taken Coronavirus seriously yet, I’m not saying go into panic mode but it’s time to give it more thought.  Beyond just washing your hands take the time to learn more about how even if you’ll be fine, how you may put others at risk.

We’ll have plenty of content in the meantime at Fighting Irish Wire and as it appears there will no NCAA Tournament to watch, we’ll have a tournament of our own to track in the coming weeks.

University of Texas to ban all fans from attending sporting events

With the recent pandemic concerning the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Big 12 conference and the University of Texas released rulings.

With the recent rulings by the NCAA concerning the tournament amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Texas has also made their announcement.

This comes on the heels of the Big 12 limited fans from attending the Big 12 tournament currently taking place in Kansas City, Missouri. Per Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowles, schools will be limited to 125 fans per school.

Texas President Greg Fenves released an announcement regarding Spring Break.

I am writing to announce that I have decided to extend spring break for students by one week in response to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Classes will resume on campus on Monday, March 30, and students should plan on returning prior to that date.

The university will remain open, and the additional week of spring break will provide UT faculty and staff members time to prepare to increase “social distancing” on campus. As recommended by public health officials, social distancing provides guidelines through which individuals avoid group settings and mass gatherings, maintain a safe distance from others and follow good personal hygiene practices whenever possible.

COVID-19 represents a serious public health concern. UT is committed to the well-being of our community members and slowing the spread of the coronavirus while also supporting our students’ educational goals and the needs of staff and faculty members and students during these challenging times.

You can read the full release from President Fenves here.

The school pushing back spring break to March 30th brings into question the start of spring practice. The original start date was set for March 25th. The ban of attending home sporting events would last to the 22nd so that would not have factored in. However, the extension of spring break does.

We will monitor the situation and report the facts as they are made available.

Vols topple ETSU, 17-5

2020 Tennessee football.

KNOXVILLE — The bats came alive for the University of Tennessee baseball team Tuesday night.

The Volunteers pounded out 20 hits as they routed East Tennessee State, 17-5, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. 10 of UT’s hits went for extra bases for the No. 20 Vols, who scored six runs in the second inning to open a big lead.

Alerick Soularie hit two home runs and had a double for the Vols (15-2).

He went 3-for-5 with two runs and drove in four. Evan Russell and Landon Gray also homered for the Vols in their final tune-up before opening Southeastern Conference play against South Carolina in Columbia this weekend.

Zach Daniels went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored for Tennessee, which had single runs in the third and fifth frames respectively. The Big Orange added five runs in the sixth and two each in the seventh and eighth.

Jake Rucker was 2-for-6 with a triple, two runs and an RBI.

Luc Lipcius had two doubles and scored twice while Drew Gilbert had two hits and two runs while driving in one.

Gray had two hits and three RBIs and also scored a run for Tennessee.

The Buccaneers (12-3) had doubles from David Beam and Ashton King and a home run from Jackson Greer.

Beam was a prep standout at Bearden High School. King, a freshman, was a star at Farragut and Greer played high school ball for Knoxville Central.