Tennessee's journey hasn't always been smooth, but Vols are feeling Super once again

New York Times

2 days ago

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Dogpile? Forget it.
Liam Doyle's fastball — consistently broaching triple digits — whizzed by Wake Forest's Javar Williams and ignited a party on the field Monday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium as he celebrated his fifth strikeout of the night.
Kool & The Gang's 'Celebration' provided a fitting soundtrack for the moments after Tennessee clinched a Super Regional berth with an 11-5 win over Wake Forest in the decisive game of the Knoxville Regional.
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But defending national champions don't dogpile after Regional victories.
It's a privilege and a weight — that Tennessee has felt all season long.
'It was a headache going into the year and early parts of the fall. You've got commitments and requests and, even celebrations that maybe kind of interfere with what this group is trying to do,' Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said.
But among the team, it was mostly unspoken — albeit explicitly spoken on a few occasions — that Tennessee's 2025 team couldn't be defined by or affected by what its 2024 team had done. Whether or not that's possible is up for debate.
Reminders are everywhere. The silver and black plaque hanging behind home plate commemorates the program's sole national title, celebrated with a packed-out parade down Gay Street in Knoxville a year ago. Another orange, black and white insignia is plastered on the wall separating the field from the sold-out crowd of 6,198 at Monday night's victory. Another white logo is plastered on the left field wall.
Pick a fan in the stands or on the concourse and there's a good chance they're wearing a shirt celebrating the program's finest moment, too.
On April 5, the Vols looked determined to do it again. They were the nation's No. 1 team, 28-2 and eyeing another SEC title.
'We came out of the gate strong, probably you could argue a little bit too strong. I think some people outside of this room thought you can play this game and be invincible and roll up on people,' Vitello said.
Instead, they finished the season 13-13 and lost six of their final seven series. Rival Vanderbilt eliminated them from the SEC Tournament with a run-rule victory. They needed a late win over NCAA Tournament No. 2 seed Texas in Hoover just to ensure the privilege of playing at home for the Regional.
The celebration on the field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium after Monday's win looked anything but certain as the Vols' race for a repeat went off the rails in the second half of the season.
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They ranked 155th nationally in fielding percentage and committed more errors than any team in the SEC. Only four power conference teams had more than the Vols, who advanced to play an Arkansas team that committed the fewest (32) in the SEC.
'These kids have made a bunch of mistakes all year long. Our fans should appreciate consistency and not expect dominance in any sport. I know it's an SEC school, so that's going to fall on deaf ears,' Vitello said. 'They make mistakes, but they work their butts off and there's a lot of passion.'
It was evident throughout the game that they've established Vitello's standard of consistency in the absence of dominance.
ANDREW FISCHER YOU ARE A TENNESSEE LEGEND pic.twitter.com/5ZmmDyDjFf
— Kerry Williams (@kerrywilliams_) June 2, 2025
First baseman Andrew Fischer beat his chest rounding first base and galloped around third in front of Wake Forest's dugout after hitting a two-run home run that capped a seven-run third inning and put the Vols up 8-2. He tossed his helmet in the air as he bounded back into the dugout.
Doyle, coming out of the bullpen for just the second time this season, rallied from a 2-0 hole for a strikeout to end the seventh inning and a scoring threat with the Vols nursing a shrinking 8-5 lead. He threw his head back to the sky and screamed.
Tennessee has hosted a Regional four times in five years. Now, it has reached the Supers in five consecutive seasons with three College World Series berths and a national title.
The lack of a dogpile and raucous celebration makes it clear Monday's win didn't mean everything, but it still meant a lot. Especially for players like Fischer and Doyle.
Doyle might be the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft later this summer. Last month, he showed up at No. 2 in prospect rankings from The Athletic's Keith Law.
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But after closing out the game, Doyle secured the game ball and kept it in his pocket. He plans to give it to his mom.
Most of the rest of the roster has been here before. Tennessee's biggest star hasn't.
Last year's national title served as a siren song for big-time talents in the transfer portal, helping the Vols secure a package deal from conference rival Ole Miss in Fischer and Doyle.
'Me and Andrew took — I wouldn't say a risk — but a smart decision entering the transfer portal and coming to a spot where we knew we wanted to win. That's all it was about,' Doyle said. 'We wanted to come to a spot that has won in the past. They've done great here. I wanted the ball.'
Doyle got it on Friday, dominating Miami (Ohio) with 104 pitches, allowing just four hits and one run with 11 strikeouts.
'We knew what we were walking into facing Mr. Doyle,' said Miami coach Brian Smiley
We 🫶 Rocky Top pic.twitter.com/KSrwfIzm9O
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 3, 2025
Monday, Doyle halted Wake Forest's rally, turning off the offensive faucet and giving up no hits in 2 1/3 innings of work. When it was done, he flashed a heart with his hands above his head as the crowd celebrated.
A few moments later, Vitello sprinted down the first-base line after a TV interview and found Doyle in the mass of humanity in right field, jumping on him and raining fake punches into his back to revel.
'That was fun and foolish. I'm sure someone won't like it on Twitter or whatever,' Vitello said. 'Kids should enjoy it. You hit a homer 450 feet, it's a new day and age. Maybe you look at it for a second. I had fun doing it. I love him.'
Somehow, in barely over a month, the juggernaut reigning national champs with as much talent as any team in the country became something of an underdog story, now forced to go on the road to a conference rival in the Super Regional coached by one of Vitello's mentors, Dave Van Horn.
The one-time best team in America finished tied for seventh in the SEC, a league that did little to validate its reputation on Regional weekend, with top-16 seeds Vanderbilt, Texas, Ole Miss and Georgia all being eliminated while the Vols play on.
Whether or not Tennessee and its fans have to settle for consistency in pursuit of dominance, one thing is clear. The Vols are in the midst of one of the proudest stretches in program history. No one knows how long that might last. Ask South Carolina: It can change quickly.
One of the sport's rising stars and compelling personalities looks uninterested in trading in his Power T hat for any other logo. Its expanding, under-construction stadium — The House That Vitello Built — is full.
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'Despite the struggles at certain times and other things, it's a group you want to be around,' said Vitello.
Added Fischer: 'Not ready to go home yet.'
These are the glory years. Tennessee is still fighting like crazy, trying not to waste one.
(Photo of Reese Chapman and Levi Clark: Saul Young / USA Network via Imagn Images)