HOOVER, Ala. — Tony Vitello was already buzzing when he took the mound Friday to knock Drew Beam out of the game.
Tennessee’s baseball coach thought the Vols should have gotten out of the fifth inning by now, but it wasn’t due to a hostile umpire. Then the Vols coach said he heard Mississippi State players yelling his name and tensions arose between the Vols and the Bulldogs.
“I’m not used to a bunch of guys yelling my name and not reacting,” Vitello said. “Maybe I provoked it, but I didn’t tell anyone. I’m just not used to it. If our players yell Dave at the (Arkansas) coach , Van Horn, in any way, we I have a problem. It’s just me.
“Maybe I’m the one responsible for it, so I reacted and they reacted.”
Players and coaches from Tennessee and Mississippi State briefly spilled onto the field during the fifth inning of Tennessee’s 6-5 victory at Hoover Met Friday in their SEC Tournament playoff game. No one was expelled and tensions did not resume.
Vitello credited the referees for diffusing tensions well and said the SEC did not ask for any handshakes after the game.
What happened between Tennessee baseball and Mississippi State?
The tensions began with dissatisfaction with the referees, according to Vitello. The Vols were upset by home plate umpire Clint Fagan, who called a ball on a potential third strike against MSU outfielder Bryce Chance that would have ended the inning. That followed catcher Cal Stark dropping a foul that also would have been a strikeout.
“From my point of view, which was my point of view, we thought we were out of the round a few times,” Vitello said after UT’s 6-5 victory. “I haven’t seen the video where you actually get a better perspective, but from our dugout we thought we were out of the inning a few times.”
Mississippi State joined in expressing its displeasure with the umpire during the ensuing at-bat when third base umpire Kevin Sweeney called the stop- MSU short David Mershon attempted a check-swing. However, Mershon drew a walk to score the Bulldogs’ first run and bring Connor Hujsak to the plate.
Tensions rose further after Hujsak tied the game 3-3 with a two-run single. Vitello went to take Beam out, which is when things heated up. Hujsak appeared to chirp at the pitcher’s mound where Beam and Vitello were standing. Vitello responded and first base umpire Derek Mollica yelled at the Mississippi State dugout to stop the verbal lobs.
After the game, Vitello said he was upset by MSU players directly yelling his name.
Mississippi State hitting coach Christian Moore was upset during the trade
After Vitello began chewing on the Bulldogs’ dugout, MSU hitting coach Jake Gautreau stormed toward the first base line. He had to be restrained by Bulldogs pitcher Stone Simmons and the umpires. Tennessee players Cal Stark and Christian Moore got involved in an exchange of words. Moore had to be brought back onto the field by his teammates and the referees after removing his hat as he walked toward the MSU dugout.
“I was just talking to myself and it probably got out of hand,” MSU coach Chris Lemonis said. “Actually, I was underneath. I was out late. I didn’t even see the first things happen.”
Players from both teams largely remained in or around their respective dugouts amid the disruption.
After the brief conflict, Vitello said Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan was joking with the UT dugout before hitting a two-run single.
“Every player involved in the game was all cordial – much like it was in conference,” Vitello said. “These guys have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.”
Tennessee advanced to the SEC tournament semifinals with this victory. A rematch with No. 8 seed Vanderbilt awaits Saturday (approximately 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Clarion Ledger reporter Stefan Krajisnik contributed to this report.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will give you access to the entire thing.
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