Tennessee Vols Head Coach Tony Vitello opposes new college baseball rule
The Tennessee Vols missed out on at least six at-bats in their 10-0 victory over Belmont on Tuesday night due to a rule that head coach Tony Vitello strongly dislikes.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Vols outfielder Reese Chapman hit a home run to extend Tennessee’s lead to 10-0. Belmont failed to score in the top of the seventh inning, ending the game early due to the run rule and depriving the Vols of additional at-bats.
After the game, Vitello voiced his frustration with the rule.
“The first nine runs were great,” Vitello said. “The last one, I already used my cuss word in my in-game interview on Sunday, so I won’t do one now but I’d like to. I don’t know. I’ve had it with that (run rule). I’ve recommended people to be on the board or when we have our SEC meetings, to be the ones that speak first and all that. And I am way down the totem pole and I ain’t trying to be humble, but I’m kind of over this whole deal here. 10 ain’t a lot. I don’t know why that’s the number. Reese Chapman hits a home run and everyone is bummed out. That’s not good. That doesn’t make sense.”
The run rule is applied in all SEC conference games. In non-conference games like Tennessee’s against Belmont, the rule is enforced only if the non-conference coach agrees, according to the SEC.
The SEC has implemented a 10-run rule for conference games, ending a contest after seven innings if a team leads by at least 10 runs, following NCAA rules. This 10-run rule is also used in non-conference games with the opponent coach’s consent. Without consent, the game continues under standard NCAA rules.
Vitello seems to favor eliminating the run rule altogether, which makes sense considering baseball’s charm lies in the possibility of a comeback until the final out.
