Head coach Tony Vitello was thrown out of a baseball game this weekend and now he’s giving out chest bumps to raise money. Vitello chest bumped an umpire during a game last weekend against Alabama, and Vitello was promptly suspended.
When it comes to SEC baseball, it is just about as competitive and deep as the football is in the conference. Tennessee, the top-ranked team in the nation in the latest polls, took on No. 24/25 Alabama. The Crimson Tide took down a top-10 Ole Miss team that now finds itself out of the polls.
When it comes to these competitive games, coaches can get excited. Sometimes things go a little too far and you end up bumping chests with the ump. Of course, that’s going to get you thrown out of the game. No matter if it’s little league or the MLB. Despite the blemish on the weekend, Vitello is turning it around for good.
With a sign that says “$2.00 chest bumps from Coach V for Wounded Warrior.” Standing outside on campus, the coach smiled and held his sign up. That’s the sign of a coach that can take a bad situation and turn it into a good one. Thankfully, even though their head coach was ejected in a game, the team went on to win two of three over the weekend.
Tennessee didn’t want to fall victim to Bama like Ole Miss did. Since then it has been nothing but struggles for the Rebels team. Vols dropped game one 3-6 but followed it up with wins of 9-2 and 15-4.
Tony Vitello Gives Chest Bumps After Suspension, Big Series Coming Up
Unfortunately, the ejection also came with a four-game suspension. That is something that Tony Vitello and his chest bumps will not be able to erase. Look, Coach V is a good coach, he knows he’s got a lot of emotion and passion for the game. That four-game suspension will just go on by as his Vols continue their successful season. They just took down Bellarmine 9-3 on Tuesday, without their coach. But will this moment come back to bite him?
With the season continuing and heading to the road this weekend, the Vols will miss their coach for two more games. That means the three-game road stretch against Florida will largely go on without Vitello. Florida just fell out of the top-25 rankings but is a team that could surprise Tennessee if they don’t come ready to play at the highest level.
Above everything else, congrats to Coach V for turning this situation into something cool. He has a suspension to serve for his actions but he’s turned it around. If his Vols can make it out of Gainsville without too much damage, then they should keep marching as the NCAA’s top team. Their 33-3 record is the best in baseball. #2 Oregon State has seven losses on the season.
