Middle Tennessee kids killed Vanderbilt

#1
NighthawkVol

NighthawkVol

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#1
No region has been more important to Tennessee’s baseball resurgence under Vitello than Middle Tennessee. Smacking Corbin in the mouth on the recruiting trail not only in winning East Tennessee back, but also taking Middle Tennessee kids has been crucial.

I was thinking about the stars of this last weekend who really took it to Vandy and the midstate kids kept coming to mind.

Kavares Tears
Drew Beam
Chase Burns
Hunter Ensley
Jared Dickey
Zane Denton

All of those guys had great weekends. All made huge plays to beat the midstate monster. Love to see it.
 
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#2
#2
GregAmsler said:
No region has been more important to Tennessee’s baseball resurgence under Vitello than Middle Tennessee. Smacking Corbin in the mouth on the recruiting trail not only in winning East Tennessee back, but also taking Middle Tennessee kids has been crucial.

I was thinking about the stars of this last weekend who really took it to Vandy and the midstate kids kept coming to mind.

Kavares Tears
Drew Beam
Chase Burns
Hunter Ensley
Jared Dickey
Zane Denton

All of those guys had great weekends. All made huge plays to beat the midstate monster. Love to see it.
Click to expand...
Good point but Hunter Ensley is from Huntingdon, which is West TN
 
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#11
#11
Before Tennessee hired Vitello, I was really frustrated with the way we recruited. Serrano seemed to want to get every 5'10" 165 lb. nibbling pitcher out of California that the West Coast schools didn't want. Worse, he got killed instate, even in East Tennessee. It's like he had no respect for the quality of talent in this state, which is tremendous. I always thought Tennessee should focus inside out, going from local to cold weather states...1) regain a foothold in East Tennessee first, then 2) get a foothold in the rest of the state (especially Middle, but also West), then 3) go get guys in cold weather states and sell them on playing in the best conference on the planet in much warmer weather. I think that avenue has always been overlooked before TV arrived. Go find a kid in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Minnesota (ahem, Drew Gilbert) and say, "college baseball starts in February. Do you want to be playing February/March baseball in Michigan or Tennessee? And, oh, by the way, we play in the best conference in America by far." There is plenty of talent in those states to be had and they'd probably rather be playing in Tennessee in February/March than up north.

Of course, you also cherry pick from surrounding/regional states, like Georgia, Virginia, Florida, etc., as well as, yes, some California kids (Burke), but I thought those three steps should be the blueprint for rebuilding this program. Vitello seems to have followed it to a T. He's got East Tennessee back. He's rolling in Middle Tennessee. And he's going into Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Missouri, Ohio, etc. to bring talent to warmer weather.
 
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#15
#15
You could tell Burns took his game up a level. Vandy dominated MT recruiting for the most part during their peak years. It’s critical for Tennessee get those players to Knox. TV knows this. Tennessee can compete nationally with anyone recruiting the 250 mile circle around Knoxville
 
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#17
#17
GregAmsler said:
Before Tennessee hired Vitello, I was really frustrated with the way we recruited. Serrano seemed to want to get every 5'10" 165 lb. nibbling pitcher out of California that the West Coast schools didn't want. Worse, he got killed instate, even in East Tennessee. It's like he had no respect for the quality of talent in this state, which is tremendous. I always thought Tennessee should focus inside out, going from local to cold weather states...1) regain a foothold in East Tennessee first, then 2) get a foothold in the rest of the state (especially Middle, but also West), then 3) go get guys in cold weather states and sell them on playing in the best conference on the planet in much warmer weather. I think that avenue has always been overlooked before TV arrived. Go find a kid in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Minnesota (ahem, Drew Gilbert) and say, "college baseball starts in February. Do you want to be playing February/March baseball in Michigan or Tennessee? And, oh, by the way, we play in the best conference in America by far." There is plenty of talent in those states to be had and they'd probably rather be playing in Tennessee in February/March than up north.

Of course, you also cherry pick from surrounding/regional states, like Georgia, Virginia, Florida, etc., as well as, yes, some California kids (Burke), but I thought those three steps should be the blueprint for rebuilding this program. Vitello seems to have followed it to a T. He's got East Tennessee back. He's rolling in Middle Tennessee. And he's going into Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Missouri, Ohio, etc. to bring talent to warmer weather.
Click to expand...

There was baseball before Tony Vitello?!?! Lol :) I kid of course.
 
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#21
#21
GregAmsler said:
Before Tennessee hired Vitello, I was really frustrated with the way we recruited. Serrano seemed to want to get every 5'10" 165 lb. nibbling pitcher out of California that the West Coast schools didn't want. Worse, he got killed instate, even in East Tennessee. It's like he had no respect for the quality of talent in this state, which is tremendous. I always thought Tennessee should focus inside out, going from local to cold weather states...1) regain a foothold in East Tennessee first, then 2) get a foothold in the rest of the state (especially Middle, but also West), then 3) go get guys in cold weather states and sell them on playing in the best conference on the planet in much warmer weather. I think that avenue has always been overlooked before TV arrived. Go find a kid in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Minnesota (ahem, Drew Gilbert) and say, "college baseball starts in February. Do you want to be playing February/March baseball in Michigan or Tennessee? And, oh, by the way, we play in the best conference in America by far." There is plenty of talent in those states to be had and they'd probably rather be playing in Tennessee in February/March than up north.

Of course, you also cherry pick from surrounding/regional states, like Georgia, Virginia, Florida, etc., as well as, yes, some California kids (Burke), but I thought those three steps should be the blueprint for rebuilding this program. Vitello seems to have followed it to a T. He's got East Tennessee back. He's rolling in Middle Tennessee. And he's going into Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Missouri, Ohio, etc. to bring talent to warmer weather.
Click to expand...
The northern angle is the route Dan McDonnell has done at UofL and he’s built a hell of a program cherry picking the best of the Midwest and bringing them south. We can sell a climate another 200 miles south, in the best league as you said, better support and likely better or at least equal facilities as UofL.
 
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#24
#24
GregAmsler said:
No region has been more important to Tennessee’s baseball resurgence under Vitello than Middle Tennessee. Smacking Corbin in the mouth on the recruiting trail not only in winning East Tennessee back, but also taking Middle Tennessee kids has been crucial.

I was thinking about the stars of this last weekend who really took it to Vandy and the midstate kids kept coming to mind.

Kavares Tears
Drew Beam
Chase Burns
Hunter Ensley
Jared Dickey
Zane Denton

All of those guys had great weekends. All made huge plays to beat the midstate monster. Love to see it.
Click to expand...


Vitello is now 10-6 against Canderbilt in his Tennessee tenure.
 
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