Here's the highlights from Tony Vitello's media availability to preview this weekend's against No. 1 Arkansas. @rschump00 helped transcribe a couple of these quotes:
On how the week has been preparing for No. 1 Arkansas:
“It’s been different business because we came off a sweep in really cold weather on the road against an SEC opponent and then had to travel on Monday morning which was very unique. Then we get the announcement about full capacity. Tuesday’s game came with so many challenges that it was ridiculous. Our guys rose to the occasion and we were in control of that game for quite some time. We gave a couple of guys a chance to play and a couple of guys didn’t do so well. That’s just the cost of doing business in my opinion, but overall I was impressed with Tuesday probably more so than any other Tuesday. Wednesday was back to business. We’ve fallen into a Wednesday routine and that’s what we did. There was a different energy. The guys were glad they did well on Tuesday, let out a breath of fresh air that they were able to win the game and now they’re getting ready for something they’re excited about, which so is Arkansas. It’s deep into the year, there’s no school and it’s SEC baseball.”
On Senior Day:
“It’s great to be around those guys every day. I sat next to a couple of them at breakfast this morning. A good group of kids, many we brought in, some we inherited. As schools out and it’s our fourth year of being here, I think they’re here because they have a lot of character. Senior day in our sport is always different because of the draft and so many other things that can happen. While it’s a group of guys that we want to celebrate the fact that they’re getting their degree, it’s always interesting to see who will move on and who won’t. Will Heflin was a part of that ceremony at one point but Will Heflin will be pitching at some this weekend. I like these guys being around as long as they want to be around. I also like when these guys have a chance for a pro opportunity, whether it’s that they want to go out as a free agent, or late signee, or first or second round, we want to help our guys move into pro ball as soon as they’re ready and as best we can.”
On Arkansas pitcher Kevin Kopps:
“He’s a guy that comes from humble beginnings when it comes to rankings and recruiting or anything like that. He’s turned himself into a guy. He’s like a lot of these guys, extended one year because of COVID but also he had surgery so to me those kind of balance out. He’s the type of guy if you give him enough time to figure it out, it could be anything, he’s going to figure it out. Seeing it from an opponents eyes, even though I know Kevin and am happy for him, you don’t like him having too much time because he’ll evolve into what he has. He’s a jack of all trades out of the bullpen. I’m sure late in the season if they had to start him they could. He can go four innings and bounce back over the course of the weekend. Everyone’s personnel is different, everyone chooses to use their personnel different and with Kevin they have a huge weapon and they’re not afraid to use or unload that weapon at any point. I’m sure we’ll see him at some point this weekend.”
On potentially being alone atop the SEC standings following the weekend:
“It’s been mentioned enough now to where I know that. But there’s another week to go in the SEC. If you’re in any major conference, it’s crazy what can happen down the stretch or how one weekend can turn things upside down just a bit. But in this weekend in particular, I don’t even want to say best case scenario or worst case scenario, when you go on road or you’re at home and you’re playing somebody, so many different things can happen with your RPI, and the record and all that. The best time to look up and see where you’re at is when you’re on the bus to Hoover. The SEC Tournament is something that everybody wants to win, but there is certainly that one moment where the teams that are settled towards the top can catch their breath a little bit. For now, I think it’s best to keep our nose down and keep going, especially where we’re at with the history in our program. From the Rod Delmonico days to a little bit of a dip, and now we’re back on the climb. Even though I like our club a lot, we haven’t done what some of these other programs have done in recent history. To get caught looking at that stuff too much would be a mistake.”
On only losing one weekend series this season and how difficult that is to pull off:
“It’s ultimately how you’re judged every year and the committee when they sit down they look at your series record. Because we have a talented group and they kind of have a will to win we’ve been able to win the majority of our series but even to do that is difficult so to string together a deal where you haven’t lost any, I don’t know what you can relate that too—throwing a no hitter in the big leagues or anything like that— but in this league you’re certainly making your own breaks and maybe even catching a break here or there.”
On his relationship with Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn:
“I think any time you have a boss you want someone that trusts you and is willing to give you the freedom to do your thing and prove yourself. If you get hired, that means they though you could do the job well. So you want to be given the chance to prove that you can do that. I couldn’t ask for a better environment to work in as an employee. We’ve all been in good ones, we’ve all been in bad ones. That was a really good one for obvious reasons. The fans there were tremendous, the kids I got to be around are great, but I really felt like I had a lot of breathing room. There were no uncomfortable moments at work everyday, so I’ve tried to implement that up here. For the most part of why I think our kids have developed here is because that’s been copied. I think we have the best pitching coach in the SEC. Everybody else probably thinks they do too, but Frank’s resume is pretty dang good. I mention Q all the time. Our base coaches — Ross Kivet and Josh Elander — and there’s other folks, too. They’re the one’s developing our players that are all of a sudden jumping up and biting the blue bloods of the conference here and there. It’s been zerox copy.”
On what Dave Van Horn means to him:
“To bring me into the conference, this is how I got the job. The SEC is probably seen as arrogant by other people outside of it whether it be football, baseball, even other sports; but it’s for a good reason. There’s just more people who are fired up about this thing. That’s why the crowds are so big and the talent is as good as anywhere in the country year in and year our, at least with our sport. It’s kind of like Hollywood. Once you’re in the circle, you’re in the circle, but some people never catch that break even though they’re worthy of it or they’ve earned it, they don’t get that break to be invited to the party. For whatever reason, he and the staff their believed in me and brought me into the league that’s a monster. They call it the men’s league. If I was not in the SEC, I never would have been a candidate for this job. Right or wrong, I think administrators feel the more you know this league, the better suited you are to work in the league. I sit here now at a job that I love, at a place that I love because of all that.”
On having extra juice for this series:
“I think it’s had to have extra juice for this series in particular. Because the two clubs have done well and we’re getting towards the end, but it certainly adds to the build up. There’s more things to it. The more people can talk about it or build it up, the more exciting it makes it. There’s a lot of stuff you could talk about or write about going into this series. But once somebody yells play ball, all that goes through the waste side, you have to line up against the opponent and you find out who’s better”
On the matchup against Arkansas:
“This league is a power league. Power arms, incredibly strong bats and bodies that are just fast moving, down the line on defense, you name it. They’ve got that one through nine. There’s not a lot of breathing room in the lineup and you see big physical guys and guys that can hit the ball a long way and then what’s kind of become their montra before they get to Kevin Kopps is a lot of power arms.”
On the path to getting to where he wanted it to be:
“I’m not looking for sympathy or anything, but it’s been hard to come up for air. It’s crazy, you’re on the grind. The first three years, it didn’t really feel like life exist. It was just find a way to get the next thing done. Last year, we kind of got to a point to where we were getting into a little bit of a flow and it evaporated. This year, when we picked things back up, things were so out of whack for our program and everyone else. You had to deal with protocols and all kinds of new challenges. In a weird way, it’s made for a more stressful year. It’s been a four-year grind, but in our league with the expectations that our fans have and administrations, and quite frankly the coaching staffs, that’s the way it’s going to be and that’s what you sign up for. If it wasn’t enjoyable, all of us wouldn’t be up here as we are today or any other day. So hopefully the fruits of the labor will be out there either this weekend, or in general, or in one day. But the grind and the work that has put in has been enjoyable. The fans around here or rewarding us the way the Arkansas people do as well.”
On how the week has been preparing for No. 1 Arkansas:
“It’s been different business because we came off a sweep in really cold weather on the road against an SEC opponent and then had to travel on Monday morning which was very unique. Then we get the announcement about full capacity. Tuesday’s game came with so many challenges that it was ridiculous. Our guys rose to the occasion and we were in control of that game for quite some time. We gave a couple of guys a chance to play and a couple of guys didn’t do so well. That’s just the cost of doing business in my opinion, but overall I was impressed with Tuesday probably more so than any other Tuesday. Wednesday was back to business. We’ve fallen into a Wednesday routine and that’s what we did. There was a different energy. The guys were glad they did well on Tuesday, let out a breath of fresh air that they were able to win the game and now they’re getting ready for something they’re excited about, which so is Arkansas. It’s deep into the year, there’s no school and it’s SEC baseball.”
On Senior Day:
“It’s great to be around those guys every day. I sat next to a couple of them at breakfast this morning. A good group of kids, many we brought in, some we inherited. As schools out and it’s our fourth year of being here, I think they’re here because they have a lot of character. Senior day in our sport is always different because of the draft and so many other things that can happen. While it’s a group of guys that we want to celebrate the fact that they’re getting their degree, it’s always interesting to see who will move on and who won’t. Will Heflin was a part of that ceremony at one point but Will Heflin will be pitching at some this weekend. I like these guys being around as long as they want to be around. I also like when these guys have a chance for a pro opportunity, whether it’s that they want to go out as a free agent, or late signee, or first or second round, we want to help our guys move into pro ball as soon as they’re ready and as best we can.”
On Arkansas pitcher Kevin Kopps:
“He’s a guy that comes from humble beginnings when it comes to rankings and recruiting or anything like that. He’s turned himself into a guy. He’s like a lot of these guys, extended one year because of COVID but also he had surgery so to me those kind of balance out. He’s the type of guy if you give him enough time to figure it out, it could be anything, he’s going to figure it out. Seeing it from an opponents eyes, even though I know Kevin and am happy for him, you don’t like him having too much time because he’ll evolve into what he has. He’s a jack of all trades out of the bullpen. I’m sure late in the season if they had to start him they could. He can go four innings and bounce back over the course of the weekend. Everyone’s personnel is different, everyone chooses to use their personnel different and with Kevin they have a huge weapon and they’re not afraid to use or unload that weapon at any point. I’m sure we’ll see him at some point this weekend.”
On potentially being alone atop the SEC standings following the weekend:
“It’s been mentioned enough now to where I know that. But there’s another week to go in the SEC. If you’re in any major conference, it’s crazy what can happen down the stretch or how one weekend can turn things upside down just a bit. But in this weekend in particular, I don’t even want to say best case scenario or worst case scenario, when you go on road or you’re at home and you’re playing somebody, so many different things can happen with your RPI, and the record and all that. The best time to look up and see where you’re at is when you’re on the bus to Hoover. The SEC Tournament is something that everybody wants to win, but there is certainly that one moment where the teams that are settled towards the top can catch their breath a little bit. For now, I think it’s best to keep our nose down and keep going, especially where we’re at with the history in our program. From the Rod Delmonico days to a little bit of a dip, and now we’re back on the climb. Even though I like our club a lot, we haven’t done what some of these other programs have done in recent history. To get caught looking at that stuff too much would be a mistake.”
On only losing one weekend series this season and how difficult that is to pull off:
“It’s ultimately how you’re judged every year and the committee when they sit down they look at your series record. Because we have a talented group and they kind of have a will to win we’ve been able to win the majority of our series but even to do that is difficult so to string together a deal where you haven’t lost any, I don’t know what you can relate that too—throwing a no hitter in the big leagues or anything like that— but in this league you’re certainly making your own breaks and maybe even catching a break here or there.”
On his relationship with Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn:
“I think any time you have a boss you want someone that trusts you and is willing to give you the freedom to do your thing and prove yourself. If you get hired, that means they though you could do the job well. So you want to be given the chance to prove that you can do that. I couldn’t ask for a better environment to work in as an employee. We’ve all been in good ones, we’ve all been in bad ones. That was a really good one for obvious reasons. The fans there were tremendous, the kids I got to be around are great, but I really felt like I had a lot of breathing room. There were no uncomfortable moments at work everyday, so I’ve tried to implement that up here. For the most part of why I think our kids have developed here is because that’s been copied. I think we have the best pitching coach in the SEC. Everybody else probably thinks they do too, but Frank’s resume is pretty dang good. I mention Q all the time. Our base coaches — Ross Kivet and Josh Elander — and there’s other folks, too. They’re the one’s developing our players that are all of a sudden jumping up and biting the blue bloods of the conference here and there. It’s been zerox copy.”
On what Dave Van Horn means to him:
“To bring me into the conference, this is how I got the job. The SEC is probably seen as arrogant by other people outside of it whether it be football, baseball, even other sports; but it’s for a good reason. There’s just more people who are fired up about this thing. That’s why the crowds are so big and the talent is as good as anywhere in the country year in and year our, at least with our sport. It’s kind of like Hollywood. Once you’re in the circle, you’re in the circle, but some people never catch that break even though they’re worthy of it or they’ve earned it, they don’t get that break to be invited to the party. For whatever reason, he and the staff their believed in me and brought me into the league that’s a monster. They call it the men’s league. If I was not in the SEC, I never would have been a candidate for this job. Right or wrong, I think administrators feel the more you know this league, the better suited you are to work in the league. I sit here now at a job that I love, at a place that I love because of all that.”
On having extra juice for this series:
“I think it’s had to have extra juice for this series in particular. Because the two clubs have done well and we’re getting towards the end, but it certainly adds to the build up. There’s more things to it. The more people can talk about it or build it up, the more exciting it makes it. There’s a lot of stuff you could talk about or write about going into this series. But once somebody yells play ball, all that goes through the waste side, you have to line up against the opponent and you find out who’s better”
On the matchup against Arkansas:
“This league is a power league. Power arms, incredibly strong bats and bodies that are just fast moving, down the line on defense, you name it. They’ve got that one through nine. There’s not a lot of breathing room in the lineup and you see big physical guys and guys that can hit the ball a long way and then what’s kind of become their montra before they get to Kevin Kopps is a lot of power arms.”
On the path to getting to where he wanted it to be:
“I’m not looking for sympathy or anything, but it’s been hard to come up for air. It’s crazy, you’re on the grind. The first three years, it didn’t really feel like life exist. It was just find a way to get the next thing done. Last year, we kind of got to a point to where we were getting into a little bit of a flow and it evaporated. This year, when we picked things back up, things were so out of whack for our program and everyone else. You had to deal with protocols and all kinds of new challenges. In a weird way, it’s made for a more stressful year. It’s been a four-year grind, but in our league with the expectations that our fans have and administrations, and quite frankly the coaching staffs, that’s the way it’s going to be and that’s what you sign up for. If it wasn’t enjoyable, all of us wouldn’t be up here as we are today or any other day. So hopefully the fruits of the labor will be out there either this weekend, or in general, or in one day. But the grind and the work that has put in has been enjoyable. The fans around here or rewarding us the way the Arkansas people do as well.”
