Christian Moore, Tony Vitello comment on record tying home run blast
Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore once again made history on Tuesday night by tying the program single season home run record with a solo blast in the bottom of the sixth inning against Belmont.
The blast was the 24th of the season for Moore, which now ties Sonny Cortez for the single season record. The VFL accomplished the feat back in 1998 and Moore’s next home run, he’ll be the sole record holder.
“I think it’s pretty cool. I try not to really think about that while I’m playing. That’s something you look back when you’re older and be like ‘wow, I can’t believe I did that,” Moore said of the record in postgame. “If I break it, I break it. That would be cool, too. But Obviously I want to win now and keep this going with this team. Like I said after the fact, I’ll kind of look back on it.”
Ty Allen was the Belmont pitcher and the count was 3-1. The ball travelled 351 feet – just over the right field wall – with 101 miles per hour exit velocity.
C-Mo to the MOON!
— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) May 14, 2024
That's No. 24 on the year to tie the single-season program record!
📺 https://t.co/cxgEEhzxib (SECN+)#GBO // #OTH // #BeatBelmont pic.twitter.com/MKSlhJEy5h
“I don’t think you really put a cap on guys like him and [Blake] Burke, because since they’ve been here – they came in really talented – and then they keep on this steady incline, so where does it stop,” skipper Tony Vitello said when asked if Moore had exceeded his expectations. “Who am I to say it’s going to stop here or this guy can only do this? So, that’s kind of the easiest way for me to explain that one.”
The Brooklyn, NY native already owns the program record for home runs with 51 in his career. That’s six more than teammate Blake Burke, who originally broke the record at 40 home runs, set by former Tennessee first baseman Luc Lipcius. Moore caught up with Burke and surpassed him just weeks later with a three-homer day against Kentucky and now has a comfortable lead in the category.
“He and Blake Burke are winners. They find ways to do different things whether it’s a hit in the first inning or a hit in extra innings with the game on the line,” Vitello continued. “Extra base hits or just getting on base. C-Mo reached on an error the first (at-bat), but he was 0-2 in a hurry and then extended it five, six more pitches, puts the ball in play, everybody knows he’s a green runner, so maybe you hurry a little bit. Just winning is the word that comes to mind.”
As for the single season marker for most home runs, Moore and Cortez currently sit atop the leaderboard with 24 while former Tennessee third baseman and Washington Nationals rising star Trey Lipscomb is in third at 22 (2022). Cody Hawn is also tied in third with 22 home runs belted back in 2009.
VFLs Chris Burke (2001), MLB Hall of Famer Todd Helton (1995) and Chuck Barclift (1980) all sit tied for fifth with 20 homers while Luc Lipcius 19 home runs in 2022 is good enough for eighth-best. Griffin Merritt (2023), Jordan Beck (2022), Jorel Ortega (2022) and Doug Hecker (1991) are all tied for ninth in program history with 18 home runs in a single season.
“When their time is over — I don’t mean to sound like a jerk — I’ll high five and I’ll be all for the individual accolades,” Vitello concluded. “Like, that’s a pretty cool record, that’s a big number of this or that, but I think in the current moment, the thing that sticks out is those guys are winners and they’ve evolved with how they would be labeled that.”
