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Tony Vitello reacts to Zach Root, Andrew Fischer confrontation: ‘He could’ve done a cartwheel if he wanted to’

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 15 hours•

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Tony-Vitello-calls-out-poor-effort-Tennessee-vs-Vanderbilt
Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello disagrees with a call by the umpires during a NCAA baseball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Arkansas pitcher Zach Root was as fired up as anybody Saturday night. Taking on Tennessee in the Fayetteville Super Regional, Root had just gotten out of an inning due to a double-play from Andrew Fischer. Some expletives were thrown in Fischer’s direction from Root before being pulled into the dugout by his teammates. Umpires issued warnings to both teams because of the moment as well.

Tony Vitello gave his reaction to the whole situation postgame, one where Tennessee was on the losing end. He did not have any issue with Root’s actions, saying his pitching performance allowed him to show a little emotion. Vitello maybe would have taken it one step further if he were in Root’s shoes.

“The guy was fired up, man,” Vitello said. “The way he was throwing, you could argue he could’ve done a cartwheel if he wanted to and there’s nothing wrong with it. I got no beef with that… Those are the guys you want to be around. You don’t want to be around those guys that don’t want to compete.”

Root was fantastic for seven innings, giving up just one hit while walking two and striking out six. One earned run is charged to Root’s name however, two Tennessee players did cross the plate. Overall, a fantastic performance and one Arkansas will take 100 times out of 100 in a Super Regional.

However, the ESPN broadcast wondered if Root should have even been in the game after going at Fischer. Play-by-play announcer Tom Hart posed the question to color commentator Kyle Peterson, saying Root might have been saved by his teammates.

“Listen, you can think of what you want from the Soto take earlier in the game,” Peterson said. “But the reality is Fisher really hadn’t said anything and Root kind of lost it for a minute. (Ryder) Helfrick might have saved him. Helfrick grabbed him by the jersey and starting pulling him off the field.”

If there is anyone who might agree with that assessment, you would believe Vitello would be the guy. However, his comments show he was not too bothered by what Root.

What Vitello is definitely hoping for on Sunday is a win, needing one to keep Tennessee’s season alive. A loss will send Arkansas to the College World Series for the first time since 2022. Evening the Super Regional will send us to what could be an incredible Game 3.