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Do they recruit against UT?
They run into them some; they compete for some players in state
Vitello has been active in a lot of spots of the country and he’s always been a good recruiter
The schools he’s left have been in tremendous shape
Asked about Parker Noland choosing Vandy over UT
Said he committed to MTSU and then de-committed
They were already familiar with him
They liked his offensive skill and defensive versatility
Was a later commitment (junior year) than others; how does the school balance holding spots for those situations given most commits are earlier
Said they’ve changed a little in terms of not moving as fast on freshmen or sophomores because there’s a lot of unknowns
When you get an offer at an early age, it feels like you’re reached a finish line and it can be a de-motivator
Sometimes the kids who get the later offers end up being the better players for that reason
Their kids have to know they have to continue to improve because it gets difficult once you get to Vanderbilt
Asked about what he looked for in Christian Little
They liked his confidence and ability to pitch
Said he’s developed and gotten better
Skill set affords him the opportunity to be a good pitcher for them
Said he’s adjusted well to the environment
Was patient in the fall
He wasn’t able to take the ACT and so he couldn’t come in the fall; he signed up for the ACT seven times and each time it was canceled for Covid
Said it’s hard to break in under his circumstances; the group has high standards and you have to be able to blend in and be part of the team and not just an individual, but he handled that well
He’s done a nice job academically and also fitting in
Have they had an early enrollee?
Yes, Chris Harvey in 2011
They have to have a level of maturity and expertise
Need a resume of success in the classroom too
Asked about whether this level of the rivalry can be repeated and if so, what’s that mean for the state?
It has a big payoff
If you have two teams surging nationally, parents and young players become intrigued
He thinks they’ve had that affect at Vanderbilt in state
Tennessee also has that affect; Tennessee was a tremendous program when he got to Vanderbilt
Said they can be good very quickly because they have the pulling power to do that
Said Vitello can succeed anywhere
Game 3 pitching plan
Haven’t come up with one.
Asked about bunting to beat the shift, which Max Romero did last night
Said he’s surprised more people don’t do it
Doesn’t know why more people don’t do it but thinks it’s confidence and you have to practice it
And if you don’t practice it enough you don’t use it
Said they teach it
Joked about how they were known about it long ago and joked about how he knew it was a thing at our site
You need to have it in your back pocket
Said Max had the confidence to do it because he’s practice it.
What’s he look for in recruiting beyond baseball skill
Mental organization and the ability to communicate
They ask a lot of a person when they come in
Said they’re not the military but it’s demanding on kids and there’s not always a lot of individual freedom
But if you’re mentally organized then you can succeed here
Said the players he has can put together a plan that allows them to get on the field and succeed in life
Until you’re freed up mentally and mentally present at VU, you can’t succeed
And if that’s not the case, it creates anxiety
Said mental maturity has to be the most prominent thing
Asked about the shortened season last year and how players are playing SEC ball for the first time, how are players adapting?
Said it helped to be on the road early, particularly against Oklahoma State
Said it stood out how mature they were in the travel situations, in the hotel, etc.
Said that process helps you know where the warts are
Said they just got taken down hard by Georgia and it’s not always about your team, but that says he wants to see how they react to that and now they have a difficult team in front of them
Asked about whether they submitted a bid and about post-season bans on states due to the transgender bill, where is that?
Said he thinks it’s possible to host at Tennessee at at Vanderbilt
Spoke to Candice about the hosting process this morning
Says they want to host and believes they can
Where does his confidence come from on that?
From the university, however, he doesn’t have assurances in terms of the NCAA stuff
Said his confidence is how his program takes care of business, too; no matter what bills are passed they’ll participate in the tournament somewhere
Asked about Tate Kolwyck
Joked he’s alive and moving around well
He probably can do everything his injury will allow him to do
Says he can play without injuring it more
Said he’ll know more about how soon after today
He’s a tough kid; was a football player and has worked through aches and pains
About Rocker being hit hard
Said he responds well
Got ambushed in the first inning and again in the sixth
Said it happened quickly in the matter of about four pitches
Said he’ll respond well, he’s in a good frame of mind
What it’s been like to get fans back in the stands?
Said it’s been a little bit of the same; attendance has been spotty (due to policies) so it doesn’t feel the way it felt in 2019
Said it’s getting better but it still has the feel of being in a virus world
You’d like to see more seats filled but understands from health and codes why it can’t happen
Said it’s good to see what he’s seen at Ole Miss
But he thinks they’re getting there
Do they recruit against UT?
They run into them some; they compete for some players in state
Vitello has been active in a lot of spots of the country and he’s always been a good recruiter
The schools he’s left have been in tremendous shape
Asked about Parker Noland choosing Vandy over UT
Said he committed to MTSU and then de-committed
They were already familiar with him
They liked his offensive skill and defensive versatility
Was a later commitment (junior year) than others; how does the school balance holding spots for those situations given most commits are earlier
Said they’ve changed a little in terms of not moving as fast on freshmen or sophomores because there’s a lot of unknowns
When you get an offer at an early age, it feels like you’re reached a finish line and it can be a de-motivator
Sometimes the kids who get the later offers end up being the better players for that reason
Their kids have to know they have to continue to improve because it gets difficult once you get to Vanderbilt
Asked about what he looked for in Christian Little
They liked his confidence and ability to pitch
Said he’s developed and gotten better
Skill set affords him the opportunity to be a good pitcher for them
Said he’s adjusted well to the environment
Was patient in the fall
He wasn’t able to take the ACT and so he couldn’t come in the fall; he signed up for the ACT seven times and each time it was canceled for Covid
Said it’s hard to break in under his circumstances; the group has high standards and you have to be able to blend in and be part of the team and not just an individual, but he handled that well
He’s done a nice job academically and also fitting in
Have they had an early enrollee?
Yes, Chris Harvey in 2011
They have to have a level of maturity and expertise
Need a resume of success in the classroom too
Asked about whether this level of the rivalry can be repeated and if so, what’s that mean for the state?
It has a big payoff
If you have two teams surging nationally, parents and young players become intrigued
He thinks they’ve had that affect at Vanderbilt in state
Tennessee also has that affect; Tennessee was a tremendous program when he got to Vanderbilt
Said they can be good very quickly because they have the pulling power to do that
Said Vitello can succeed anywhere
Game 3 pitching plan
Haven’t come up with one.
Asked about bunting to beat the shift, which Max Romero did last night
Said he’s surprised more people don’t do it
Doesn’t know why more people don’t do it but thinks it’s confidence and you have to practice it
And if you don’t practice it enough you don’t use it
Said they teach it
Joked about how they were known about it long ago and joked about how he knew it was a thing at our site
You need to have it in your back pocket
Said Max had the confidence to do it because he’s practice it.
What’s he look for in recruiting beyond baseball skill
Mental organization and the ability to communicate
They ask a lot of a person when they come in
Said they’re not the military but it’s demanding on kids and there’s not always a lot of individual freedom
But if you’re mentally organized then you can succeed here
Said the players he has can put together a plan that allows them to get on the field and succeed in life
Until you’re freed up mentally and mentally present at VU, you can’t succeed
And if that’s not the case, it creates anxiety
Said mental maturity has to be the most prominent thing
Asked about the shortened season last year and how players are playing SEC ball for the first time, how are players adapting?
Said it helped to be on the road early, particularly against Oklahoma State
Said it stood out how mature they were in the travel situations, in the hotel, etc.
Said that process helps you know where the warts are
Said they just got taken down hard by Georgia and it’s not always about your team, but that says he wants to see how they react to that and now they have a difficult team in front of them
Asked about whether they submitted a bid and about post-season bans on states due to the transgender bill, where is that?
Said he thinks it’s possible to host at Tennessee at at Vanderbilt
Spoke to Candice about the hosting process this morning
Says they want to host and believes they can
Where does his confidence come from on that?
From the university, however, he doesn’t have assurances in terms of the NCAA stuff
Said his confidence is how his program takes care of business, too; no matter what bills are passed they’ll participate in the tournament somewhere
Asked about Tate Kolwyck
Joked he’s alive and moving around well
He probably can do everything his injury will allow him to do
Says he can play without injuring it more
Said he’ll know more about how soon after today
He’s a tough kid; was a football player and has worked through aches and pains
About Rocker being hit hard
Said he responds well
Got ambushed in the first inning and again in the sixth
Said it happened quickly in the matter of about four pitches
Said he’ll respond well, he’s in a good frame of mind
What it’s been like to get fans back in the stands?
Said it’s been a little bit of the same; attendance has been spotty (due to policies) so it doesn’t feel the way it felt in 2019
Said it’s getting better but it still has the feel of being in a virus world
You’d like to see more seats filled but understands from health and codes why it can’t happen
Said it’s good to see what he’s seen at Ole Miss
But he thinks they’re getting there
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