“You gotta be fortunate” - Tennessee baseball HC Tony Vitello has humble response as Vols arrive in Omaha for the 3rd time in 4 seasons

Tony Vitello and the Tennessee Volunteers are in Omaha, Nebraska with a clear intent: to win the College World Series. The Vols arrive in the final phase of the tournament as the top-seeded school in the nation, hoping to secure their first national title. However, it won't be easy as no one in their position has won since 1999.

Reaching the College World Series for the third time in four years is a testament to Vitello's coaching skills. He spoke with journalist Joe Healy about this on Thursday:

"It's what you're looking for at the start of every year, and you gotta kind of put it on the back burner, cause there's a lot of work to be done... You just gotta be fortunate, there's different breaks and things that can happen, so there's a lot of things wrapped into one that can get you here and then when you get here you gotta make sure you pinch yourself and enjoy a little bit."

Tennessee's championship quest begins on Friday in a game against the Florida State Seminoles which will air on ESPN at 7:00 p.m ET.

Tony Vitello's parents remark on their son's achievements

Tony Vitello's father, Greg, understands the intricacies of coaching young athletes, as he once coached baseball and soccer at De Smet High School. For his efforts, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame last year.

Speaking on Tuesday with Tennessee's WVLT 8 about his son's recent achievements, he said:

“I get to watch my son perform and help other kids. And that was my sole sole job, my sole job wasn’t to win games; my sole job was to help guys get to the next level, whatever that level might be.”

Tony's mother, Kathy, also beamed with pride at the character of her son:

“I’m very proud, he’s very thoughtful. And you know, he’s very generous.”

They can certainly be proud of what their son has already achieved, winning the SEC regular season and tournament. If he happens to lead Tennessee to their first national title, well, that would just be the cherry on top.