Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tony Vitello makes honest admission about taking Liam Doyle out of the game in Tennessee's loss to Arkansas in Super Regional

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 5:26 PM ET

One of the pivotal moments in the Tennessee Vols' loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in Game 2 of the Fayetteville Super Regional came in the fourth inning, when head coach Tony Vitello pulled LHP Liam Doyle from the game.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Vitello took Doyle out of the game so RHP Brayden Krenzel could face Wehiwa Aloy, a right-handed hitter who was the SEC Player of the Year and mashes against lefties.

Krenzel ended up hitting Aloy, forcing in a run. Vitello then brought in RHP AJ Russell to replace Krenzel.

Russell gave up a grand slam to Logan Maxwell, the first batter that he faced. The Razorbacks ended the inning with a 7-1 lead and went on to win 11-4, clinching the Super Regional series over the Volunteers.

On Tuesday, Vitello joined The Chuck and Bo Show and he admitted that he "probably" should've left Doyle in the game longer.

"I think Liam doing what he did for us in the Monday game (pitching on two days of rest against Wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional) affected our rotation," said Vitello. "And more importantly, you know, how he could go out there for us. Probably should have left him out there longer. But the bottom line is, it was an epic matchup, and it was one where we were the true underdog."

Hindsight is 20/20 -- especially when it comes to bullpen decisions.

I know some fans were frustrated with Vitello's decision to pull Doyle, but that's one of those deals where there's no magic button you can push to guarantee that a pitching decision is going to work out. And there's no way to know how Doyle would've fared had he stayed in the game.

The thing about baseball is that sometimes a player can execute the exact pitch they wanted to throw, and maybe the hitter just puts a good swing on it and comes through with a hit. Sometimes, you can do everything right in baseball and still get a bad result. So that's why I don't think you can fault Vitello for the decision he made with Doyle.

It just didn't work out. And that's how it goes in baseball. If you don't believe me, just check out the MLB games that are on the schedule tonight. Somewhere tonight, an MLB manager will make a pitching decision that logic says is the right move. And it won't work out. That's just baseball.

By the way, if there's a silver lining that Vols fans can take from the loss to the Razorbacks, it's that Vitello is vowing to use the loss as motivation this offseason.

"Here's to us looking at that last scoreboard we saw and using it as motivation in the offseason," said Vitello in his closing comments on The Chuck and Bo Show.

I have no doubt that Tennessee will be one of the top teams in the SEC once again next season.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: