Tennessee's special season ends with celebration in Omaha.
Brad Crawford
Tennessee coach Tony Vitello fought back tears following the Vols' first national championship at the College World Seriesafter his team won a decisive third game against Texas A&M, 6-5, becoming the first overall No. 1 seed to accomplish the feat since 1999. Tennessee led 6-1 in the eighth inning before the Aggies brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth.
"They're fun, but also … kids are tough these days," Vitello said seconds after the final strikeout. "These guys will do whatever you ask them to do. I know our fans got us through that tough inning. That was a group effort on the mound. Incredible group of guys. Team chemistry."
Tennessee slugger Dylan Dreiling had a three-game series to remember, clubbing homers in every matchup for the Vols. He was named the College World Series Most Valuable Player for his performance and said after the game it was a team effort with no individual meaning more than any other.
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Here are some of the final calls and national reaction from Tennessee's first baseball title:
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 25, 2024History.
See AlsoCollege World Series highlights: Tennessee tops Texas A&M for first baseball national titleTennessee earns first national title in baseball with 6-5 win over Texas A&MA call befitting the national champs ? pic.twitter.com/p8O4EX4TaZ
The final radio call for Tennessee's first national title in baseball and 60th victory of the season. The Volunteers were able to outlast several elite teams in the postseason and even won a winner-take-all Game 3 against Evansville in the Super Regional just to reach Omaha.
The first national champions in Tennessee baseball history. pic.twitter.com/QwoNy1NrZm
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) June 25, 2024
Special season indeed for Tennessee and coach Tony Vitello.
Peyton: “This is not the last. Tennessee is coming in all sports.” pic.twitter.com/V4vElB84Jr
— Stephen Hargis ?? (@StephenHargis) June 25, 2024
Considering the footballteam is in various preseason top 25 rankings and men's hoops appears to be in great hands under Barnes, it's hard to argue with Peyton Manning's over-arching point here. Since retirement, Manning's been a staple at Tennessee athletic events and rarely misses any of the big ones.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 25, 2024Tennessee Baseball went 13 years without even making the NCAA Tournament—then they hired Tony Vitello.
Since then:
• Five-straight NCAA Tournaments
• $100M in stadium upgrades
• Three CWS berths in four yearsThe Vols just won their first national title in program HISTORY ? pic.twitter.com/BDelwOlcsu
Tennessee has made gargantuan efforts in recent years to improve its baseball program and now, the next step is locking down Vitello for many years to come as one of the sport's highest-paid coaches. With stadium upgrades set to be complete by the start of next spring (estimated), the Vols now have a top-tier program in the country.
Talkin’ Tennessee. ?@MorganWallen | #MCWS | #GBO pic.twitter.com/Rslei2AsT3
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) June 25, 2024
Manning wasn't the only star to be in attendance on Monday night. Country music sensation Morgan Wallen, Vols football coach Josh Heupel and Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes were just a few of the who's who crowd who made the trip to Omaha and were able to celebrate in victorious fashion.
— Mike Monaco (@MikeMonaco_) June 25, 2024Dylan Dreiling is the 1st player to homer in all 3 games of a MCWS Finals.
There have been more than 170 players since the move to Charles Schwab Field in 2011 to record at least 20 at-bats in a single MCWS; the only player to hit .500 is Oregon State's Adley Rutschman in 2018.
Dylan Dreiling has homered in ALL THREE championship series games ??@Vol_Baseball | #MCWS pic.twitter.com/z3Pt0bhsPv
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) June 25, 2024
Dreiling was seeing red at the plate against the Aggies and over his two-week stretch in Omaha, contributed 13 total hits with 11 RBIs. He's the first player in tournament history to homer in all three games of the CWS finale series.
Its not an easy or simple accomplishment, yet it seemed a forgone conclusion that Tony Vitello would bring a national title to Tennessee.
— Tom Hart (@tom_hart) June 25, 2024
Suffice to say Tennessee may have college baseball's top coach at the moment coming off Vitello's first career national championship. He's led the Vols to several appearances in Omaha, including twice as the No. 1 overall seed, and now has a ring to show for it after a record-setting campaign.
