On a regular basis, midweek games are an opportunity for the powerhouses of college baseball to get their teams in tune for tough weekend series that lie ahead.
For head coach Tony Vitello and his Tennessee Volunteers, that was the case on Tuesday, as they defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 7-1 to move to 27-2 overall this season.
The Vols now have two straight wins over Tennessee Tech, as they defeated them back in March 2024 as well, 11-1.
However, the Golden Eagles have played well against Tennessee, one of the best programs in college baseball, since the Tony Vitello era began in Knoxville. For Tennessee, this midweek matchup “to get in tune” against Tennessee Tech has not always been what it seems.
During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Volunteers had a combined overall record of 101-31, but two of those 31 losses came at the hands of Tennessee Tech in midweek games.
In 2023, the Golden Eagles crushed the Volunteers in Knoxville, defeating them 12-5. In 2022, the two teams played in a neutral site matchup at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn., where Tennessee Tech won again, defeating Tennessee 3-2.
A little further back in time during the 2018 college baseball season, Tennessee Tech also defeated Tennessee again in Knoxville as they beat them 7-6. This was Vitello’s first season as the head coach of the Vols.
To Tennessee’s credit, along with the win in 2024 and on Tuesday, they have beaten Tennessee Tech three other times in the Vitello era. These three other wins came once in 2019 and twice in 2021.
This brings Tennessee’s record against Tennessee Tech to 5-3 since 2018. The Golden Eagles have provided a big challenge to the Volunteers every time they have played. On top of that, they have played them well during Tennessee’s recent stretch of college baseball dominance.
Photo: Tennessee outfielder Hunter Ensley (9) plays East Tennessee in an NCAA baseball game on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
