Luc Lipcius, Redmond Walsh sums up their record-breaking seasons following upset loss
Redmond Walsh and Luc Lipcius ended their Tennessee careers in the record books, but they’d trade it all for one more day with their teammates.
After their upset loss to Notre Dame that kept the Volunteers out of the College World Series, a dejected Walsh — tied for first in Tennessee history with 23 saves — spoke about why the records don’t mean as much as his teammates mean to him.
“The records don’t mean near as much as the relationships, and those guys out there,” started Walsh. “I’d give up every save just to have one more game with them, or one more practice with them. Just to have another day where we could go out, and just be a team, and know that baseball is in-front of us. That nothing is left behind us.
“It’s cool, the records and stuff. But in the end of things, I’d give up my records to have one more day with them.”
Continuing, Lipcius — Tennessee’s home run king with 40 career dingers — echoed Walsh’s sentiment.
“He said it all,” added Lipcius. “You know, all the records are whatever, but it’s just this group of guys that was one of my favorites of all time. That’s the hardest thing to give up. It’s really hard to believe it’s over. That’s the great thing about being on a team like this, the relationships you have are never over.
“I know I got their back, I know they got mine. We’ll be in contact, and I can’t wait to follow all of their great careers.”
As you can see, the heartbreak is still fresh in the minds of Redmond Walsh and Luc Lipcius — but the memories of Tennessee’s historic season are invaluable to them.
Luc Lipcius, Redmond Walsh reveal Tony Vitello’s message to the team following upset Super Regional loss
Moreover, Lipcius and Walsh took a grateful tone when speaking about skipper Tony Vitello, and their season as a whole afterwards.
“He just told us that what we did this season was absolutely amazing,” began Lipcius, revealing what his skipper told the team following the loss. “We should never forget, or feel bad about how far we’ve come. He said that we put him in a really good position to keep this dynasty going. You can see that there’s so much emotion within that group of guys, because everyone loves everyone. Everyone’s such a good guy. You got him (Tony Vitello), and he’s the most passionate one in the bunch. You just want to go to war with him, and every single one around you.
“But it’s just a fantastic team, and an absolutely unforgettable one.”
Continuing, Walsh agreed with his teammates’ comments, thanking Vitello for taking a chance on his ability.
“He always has our back,” Walsh said, speaking about Vitello. “It’s been like that since Day 1. Me and Luke were I think the last two kids to commit in our class. Probably shouldn’t have even played here. The guy over there for some reason gave us a shot. We’ve just been able to play, and be in big opportunities and kind of turn the program around. Just from that, we can’t thank him enough, the coaching staff enough. My teammates, you can see as the years go on, the teams get closer and closer the better you are. This year, man, it’s going to be the hardest one to leave. Those guys are unbelievable. Everybody on that team, pitching wise, is more talented than me.
“So, it’s going to be fun to watch them pitch for many years after. But, it’s just an unbelievable season. It’s a tough one to end. It’s one of those things, excited to see where those people go next year, and what’s next for them.”