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Tennessee baseball’s regional showed why Vols are taking on the world

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee's Evan Russell (6) is greeted by Jordan Beck (27) as Russell goes home to score Tennessee's first run of the NCAA Knoxville Regional baseball championship against Georgia Tech in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, June 5, 2022.Ncaa Baseball Ut Ga Tech
Tennessee's Evan Russell (6) is greeted by Jordan Beck (27) as Russell goes home to score Tennessee's first run of the NCAA Knoxville Regional baseball championship against Georgia Tech in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, June 5, 2022.Ncaa Baseball Ut Ga Tech /
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Some of it is self-inflicted. Tennessee baseball has a young, brash head coach in Tony Vitello who has been suspended already this year. That mentality carries down to the team. The Vols have thumbed their nose at criticism, dating back to Vitello’s Mike Honcho reference against allegations of cheating by the Vanderbilt Commodores.

However, as they swept through their NCAA Regional this past weekend, beating the Alabama State Hornets, Campbell Fighting Camels and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, it has never become more clear that they are taking on the world. It appears that’s exactly how they want it.

This all started Friday. Evan Russell missed Tennessee baseball’s first game due to a health issue. However, ESPN broadcaster Troy Ekeler said while calling the Missouri State Bears and Oklahoma State Cowboys that Russell was suspended for PED use.

Russell’s father, Jack Russell, took to Twitter that his son missed the game due to a health issue. Athletic director Danny White then had to release a statement on the matter. It was clearly not true with Russell back with the team Saturday, and Ekeler issued an apology while calling the Missouri State and Grand Canyon Antelopes game.

Ekeler deserves credit for apologizing, but this is a serious issue given the accusations Vandy tried to make against UT and the bats they were using during the regular season. Vandy coach Tim Corbin has a history of erroneously whining about the Vols, but combine that with this report, and it gives an unfair perception.

Back to back 4-0 comebacks against Campbell and Georgia Tech allowed the Vols to advance to the Super Regionals, and Jordan Beck demonstrated how all Vol fans feel about the situation. In the top of the ninth Sunday, Beck drove in the tying run to kick off a six-run inning with a double. He then threw up the middle finger.

For what it’s worth, Beck was at the root of the Vandy cheating accusations, as he was deemed ineligible to play in the series opener against them and had a home run waived off due to the bat allegedly being illegal…even though it was cleared before the game. He drew the Mike Honcho reference, a throwback to “Talladega Nights.”

Enter Monday. Want to know what the outrage story was from Tennessee baseball’s series? Spoiler alert, it wasn’t a false report on Russell. It was the whining about sportsmanship from Beck after his gesture in his ninth-inning double. Twitter was rampant with outrage.

Again, no context came from any of these accounts. Nobody cared about the false cheating accusation against Beck earlier in the year combined with what was thrown at Russell on Friday. No, the problem is the Vols reacting to that as they sweep through their regionals.

All of this makes it clear. This NCAA Tournament is Rocky Top against the world. Everybody else can throw erroneous accusations at them, but they have to be the ones to handle everything like adults. They’ve been the most hated team in the SEC, and now it’s reached the nation.

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As they get set to face the college sports darling Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Super Regionals, that’ll be more clear. It’s almost the same way the national media branded Notre Dame and the Miami Hurricanes in football as the Catholics vs. Convicts in the 1980s. Tennessee baseball should keep embracing the hate. It got them this far.

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