Alabama coach Rob Vaughn gives everyone an important reminder about Tony Vitello and the Tennessee Vols

The Tennessee Vols baseball team had a rough finish to the regular season, dropping their final five SEC series. 

Tennessee, however, appeared to get back on track in their first game of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, beating Alabama 15-10 in an elimination game on Wednesday afternoon (the SEC Tournament is single elimination this season, unlike previous years). 

The Vols didn't look like a College World Series caliber team for the last half of the 2025 regular season, but as Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn pointed out on Wednesday, postseason plays provides every team with a clean slate. And Tennessee, despite their troubles over the last month, is still a "really darned good team". 

"That's just a really darned good team," said Vaughn after the Crimson Tide's loss to the Vols. 

"Tony Vitello is one of the best coaches in the country," continued Vaughn. "He does such a great job with these guys, and they've had their struggles the last few weeks. And just like for everybody, once you get to Hoover, it's kind of a reset, and it doesn't matter if you've won your last 20 or lost your last 20. Everybody is here and it's a clean slate. And they came out and played a really good brand of baseball today." 

Tennessee is still the same team that was dominant early in the season. They're the same team that swept Florida in March. Sure, they had some struggles, but that's how it goes in baseball. There are ups and downs that are often unexplainable. Sometimes you can do everything right in this sport and still lose. 

No one knows how this season will play out. Maybe Tennessee stumbles and fails to make it out of regional play early next month. Or maybe the Vols make their third straight trip to Omaha.

Either way, one thing is clear -- writing the Vols off would be foolish. As Vaughn said, Tennessee has one of the best coaches (if not the best) in the nation. Vitello's been here before. He knows what it takes to get to Omaha. And he'll have his team as prepared as they can be for what the Vols are about to face over the next couple of weeks.