Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello says Evan Russell missed game with illness

Before Tennessee even threw a pitch on Friday afternoon, some bad news came out of Knoxville. Head coach Tony Vitello said catcher Evan Russell would miss the opening matchup but did not explain why. He wanted his team to focus on Alabama State as they kick off their NCAA Tournament campaign.

After a resounding win, Vitello explains Russell woke up feeling sick and was not able to play. Going up against Campbell on Saturday, the catcher is not expected to play on Saturday either as the Volunteers look to start 2-0.

Russell was a huge part both in the box and behind the plate for Tennessee this season. He hit .299 and 13 home runs on the offensive end while also dealing with a dominant pitching staff. From a fielding perspective, Russell had a 99.6 fielding percentage and only committed two errors.

Evan Russell behind Tennessee home run celebration

In 2020, Tennessee baseball started using a unique home run celebration. This year, the Volunteers made an addition to it — and there’s a fun reason for it.

Tennessee has used the ‘daddy’ hat for the last couple of seasons, and it got plenty of use this year. The Volunteers have hit 141 home runs this year, leading the nation, but decided to make a fun addition prior to the 2022 campaign.

That’s where the fur coat came into the picture, and it’s become a staple of the program. It first appeared before the season-opener, which Tennessee won 9-0 over Georgia Southern. Tennessee hit four home runs in that game, so it stuck around. But where did the coat come from?

It turns out catcher/outfielder Evan Russell was behind it.

“That is another Evan Russell creation,” third baseman Trey Lipscomb said, via the Knox News’ Mike Wilson. “He has the cheetah print pimp coat. We like it. Just put it on your shoulders or whatever.”