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Tennessee's Tony Vitello Found Inspiration in Former Volunteers Football Staffer

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello found inspiration in a former Volunteers football coach.
Jonathan Williams|
Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello during the Tennessee Orange & White scrimmage baseball game at the Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn., on Friday, November 8, 2024.
Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello during the Tennessee Orange & White scrimmage baseball game at the Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn., on Friday, November 8, 2024. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello found inspiration in a former Volunteers football coach.

The college baseball season is set to start up later this week as the Tennessee Volunteers look to begin their battle of defending their national title from a season ago. Head coach Tony Vitello is bringing another loaded roster into this season with the hopes of making another run at the tournament in Omaha.

There is more to being a coach though on that diamond than just setting a lineup and nailing down the pitching rotation. Just like a coach in any other sport, Vitello has to bring the juice every single day. The enthusiasm Vitello brings to the baseball field though was found through a former Tennessee football coach who is now with Nebraska.

Mike Ekeler was the outside linebackers and special teams coach at Tennessee from 2021 to 2024 and just recently took the special teams job at Nebraska. Despite coaching two different sports, Ekeler and Vitello found common ground through Ekeler's love for baseball, according to an article from The Athletic.

Ekeler had a passion for baseball and even took batting practice a handful of times while in Knoxville, but what Vitello learned from Ekeler came from Vitello's time spent hosting recruits at football games.

Ekeler's presence on the football field was never hard to spot. He brought a type of intensity of energy to the team that was noteworthy from Vitello's perspective, and something he felt he needed to replicate as a coach.

“He’s very consistent,” Vitello said. “Really fiery. Really intense. Really competitive. And very consistent.”

Vitello not only felt the need to replicate Ekeler's energy in his own facilities, but that he needed to match Ekeler's level of juice. He did so during his pregame meetings with Ekeler at football games while Vitello was hosting recruits over the weekend.

“I think I got him pretty good a couple times,” Vitello said, “about as good as I can get a guy who’s built like that. But the thing I’ve learned is that physique, that energy level, that presence is not fake. It’s an all-the-time thing with him.”

Vitello is already considered as one of the best coaches in all of college baseball and after winning a national title, it would seem as if there was very little for him to improve upon. But just like any great, he is always searching for ways to evolve, and Coach Ekeler certainly played a role in helping Vitello continue to grow as a coach on the baseball diamond.

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Jonathan Williams
JONATHAN WILLIAMS

Jonathan Williams is a multimedia sports journalist who graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. He has multiple years of experience in covering college football for a variety of teams

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