It was another full weekend for University of Tennessee athletics and their fans. Here’s a review along with some accompanying thoughts:
Baseball: The Vols’ weekend series against No. 1 Arkansas had enough drama for several weekends. All three games were tense and decided by a single run. Max Ferguson’s dramatic three-run, walk-off homer ended UT’s lone victory, 8-7, on Saturday.
If the games weren’t enough, the respective coaches – UT’s coach Tony Vitello and Arkansas’ Dave Van Horn – got into a heated conversation after Sunday’s finale that started behind home plate and continued as they walked down the third base line.
Vitello shrewdly pulled up his mask at one point to thwart any lip readers.
Vitello didn’t give himself any credit, however, saying he picked a poor time to bring up some “off-the-field stuff.”
Van Horn said they could’ve been talking “about a lot of things” before adding “that is between me and Tony.”
Thoughts: Ferguson’s homer was like a gourmet meal for a starving fan base, which filled Lindsey Nelson Stadium and let out a mighty roar in celebration. Social media was full of their video accounts of the moment and the joyous aftermath.
UT alum Charlie Burris likely spoke for countless fans by tweeting: “That was the best Tennessee sporting event I’ve attended in years. I still can’t breathe.”
Vitello deserves a big share of the credit. There’s no arguing that point. Even after his argument with Vitello, a former Arkansas assistant, Van Horn said: “Tony is a really good guy and he is a really good coach.”
Women’s basketball: Tamika Catchings worried about getting emotional during her induction speech Saturday for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Instead, the former Lady Vol put her honor in poignant terms.
“Basketball chose me, an awkward, lanky introverted tomboy, born with a hearing disability, a speech impediment, and a will to overcome obstacles, dream big and to change the world,” she said.
Thoughts: Catchings was the featured attraction of a day’s worth of recognition for a women’s basketball program that frankly could use the attention.
Earlier, several Lady Vols were playing in WNBA season openers. The Lady Vols tandem of Candace Parker and Diamond DeShields was on national TV, playing for Chicago.
Back in the studio, meanwhile, former Lady Vol Andraya Carter was offering commentary.
Just last week, Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper hired Josh Theis for the new position of creative recruiting content and branding specialist. He ought to have a field day with Saturday’s events.
Softball: The Lady Vols received a No. 9 national seed for the NCAA tournament on Sunday, along with a three-team guest list for a regional this weekend at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Tennessee (41-13) will play Eastern Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
Thoughts: Starting pitcher Ashley Rogers did a lot of heavy lifting to help make this seeding possible. The former Meigs County High standpoint won 25 games. She persevered through back pain and a blister on her pitching hand to earn two victories at the SEC tournament last week. She logged 16 total innings and threw 293 pitches over two days.
Rogers’ courage and competitiveness were Catchings-like.
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who covered University of Tennessee athletics from 1988-2019. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.