Tony Vitello on RHP AJ Russell: ‘He’ll pitch for us at some point.’
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello was asked about the availability moving forward into postseason play for sophomore right-handed pitcher AJ Russell after Saturday’s Southeastern Conference title clinching victory over South Carolina.
“He threw out here and it’s been a question asked frequently and he’s had to— obviously if he’s at a 100 percent or at his best, there would’ve been a time we would’ve utilized him this week,” the coach said of Russell. “But we want to proceed, I don’t want to say with caution, but with proper sequence and I think he’s anxious and tired of being held back even though he may not be at a 100 percent. So, he’ll pitch for us at some point.”
Russell hasn’t pitched since the month of March. It was in the top of the ninth against Ole Miss on the 23rd and it was the second appearance after returning from extended absence this season. Russell previously left his second start of the year against Albany and has logged only 12.1 innings across three starts and four appearances this season.
“I think the key for him and also our team to recognize is he’s not coming to save the day. Right now, we’ve got a really good group we trust,” Vitello continued. “There’s even some guys you could say they’re probably thinking they’re underutilized. So, when he gets into the mix, he is not going to be built up to start or anything crazy. We’re looking for five, maybe six outs a week that can support our staff if he’s called on to do so. And I think he will be ready to do that. I know he is anxious to do that.”
The righty pitched extremely well in the season-opener against No. 21 Texas Tech at Globe Life Field as the club’s Opening Day starter and it was also the first weekend start of his career as well. Russell went on to strike out 10 batters over 4.1 innings pitched where he allowed two runs off three hits in Opening Day start.
“Make you feel better about various scenarios when we plan as coaches,” Vitello answered when asked what Russell’s return does for the depth of the staff. “So, it just adds depth and he’s started and relieved. So, when you get into situations where you play more games than three, you got a starter.”
With the 4-1 win over South Carolina in game three on Saturday, coupled with Vanderbilt’s 12-4 win over Kentucky, the Vols and Kentucky finish the conference slate with 22-8 records. Since Tennessee won the regular season series over the Wildcats two games to one back in April, UT owns the tiebreaker and will be the No. 1 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. However, Tennessee and Kentucky are co-champions of the SEC for regular season play.
