Tony Vitello emotionally reflects on respect for Dave Van Horn, Arkansas after Super Regional loss

The Fayetteville Super Regional paired a couple of teams very familiar with one another. The Tennessee Volunteers and Arkansas Razorbacks, consistently two of the best in the SEC faced off. There, the two sides head coaches, Tony Vitello and Dave Van Horn, share a student-mentor relationship.

After Arkansas eliminated Tennessee on Sunday, Vitello was seen congratulating the Razorbacks coaching staff. He’d go on to emotionally reflect on the respect he has for Van Horn while speaking to the media afterward.

“Well, I was quick to talk to him,” Tony Vitello said. “I told him I’d come back and meet him around. So, he ran off, but on accident. I don’t think he knew that’s what I meant. So, however many times we shook hands, we’ve had two bad come-back-around-there deals. That’s a joke. You know, hopefully, I didn’t look bad in front of my team.”

Tony Vitello took the Tennessee job in 2018. Immediately prior to that, he’d been an assistant coach at Arkansas for Dave Van Horn. Clearly, it was an experience that he loved and looks back on fondly now, even as he’s continued to progress in his own career.

“I miss some of those guys. I miss some of those guys. So, they deserve to win. Certainly, would like to beat them,” Vitello said. “I think maybe we [will] play them next year. Some of those guys said things they didn’t have to say, and I think there’s a mutual respect there. There’s a coach in our league that anytime he sees you on the road, always says, ‘I know we’re supposed to hate each other, but I have a lot of respect for you guys.’ Depending on the day, you like it. Sometimes you don’t like it, but I think it’s well thought out. This league is insane, especially in our sport, what it’ll do to you, and I think we all have a certain amount of respect for each other.”

Arkansas ended up taking the series 2-0 over Tennessee. The Razorbacks opened on Saturday with a one-run win. After that, they jumped out ahead of the Volunteers 7-1 by the fourth inning of Game 2. They’d never look back and go on to win the game 11-4.

“But as you mentioned, I’ve got time here,” Vitello said. “And while I was here, I was just as big of a knucklehead as I am now, but I tried to work my ass off. It’s a good place to work.”

Tony Vitello won his first national championship as a head coach last season. Now, Dave Van Horn is heading back to Omaha. There, he’s hoping to win his first national championship after being a head coach since 1995 and leading the Arkansas program since 2003.