Tony Vitello took center stage in the final game of Tennessee’s series against Auburn last weekend, and not in the happiest of ways. The Volunteers’ head coach made such an angry protest against the referees that he was ejected from the game.
As if that wasn’t enough, Vitello walked off the field and made all sorts of gestures to his players while apparently giving them instructions. It was an outburst for the ages.
Fans React to Tony Vitello’s Emotional Outburst
Channel TN reporter Austin Brown shared a video of the moment on his X profile, which has received more than 139,000 views and more than 1,000 reactions:
Fans were not unmoved by Vitello’s stance, with most criticizing both Vitello for the moment and Brown for calling him a “hero.
“So your hero lost a home series – throwing a tantrum down 6-0 in the rubber match?” @therealstanzy posted.
“Nah, there is a time and place for this but too little too late at this point,” @BeachbumTN65 said.
“This baseball team is broken,” @RMoore1175 wrote.
“How bout he win some series,” @ecuvawls17 replied.
“Vitello is nobody’s ‘hero’. Heroes don’t emotionally lose control,” @Ritalaca60 said.
Vitello was ejected when he protested two calls by home plate umpire John Brammer, both involving swings by Auburn hitters that the umpire did not call strikes. The second of those calls led to a run in the top of the fifth inning that triggered the Vols’ head coach emotions.
Tennessee was down 6-0 at the time, thanks in large part to the work of pitchers Christian Chatterton and Cade Fisher, who combined to hold the Vols to four hits and one earned run while striking out seven of them.
The game ended in seven innings with Auburn defeating Tennessee 8-1. The result dropped the Vols to 2-1 in the three-game series, the third consecutive series loss for Vitello’s Vols.
It was the fifth time in his NCAA career that the seasoned head coach has been ejected from a game. According to Konx News, his resume includes ejections against Kentucky in 2018, Vanderbilt in 2021, Alabama in 2022, and Missouri in 2023.
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The streak has pushed Tennessee back in the SEC standings. The Volunteers are now tied with Vanderbilt for fifth place with a 14-10 record in conference play (38-11 overall).
Coincidentally, Tennessee will host Vanderbilt next weekend, to close out the regular season a week later against Arkansas.
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