Tennessee’s Tony Vitello leads the way as NCAA baseball season hits crucial stage

Tony Vitello, Tennessee manager

© (Calvin Mattheis / News Sentinel)

With the arrival of June, the NCAA baseball season enters its decisive phase and will crown its queen with the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska in the second half of next month. The final NCAA Tournament will start this weekend with 16 concentrations (called Regionals) made up of 4 teams each, whose winners will then compete in 8 Super Regionals (miniseries with the best of 3 games) from which the 8 final contenders for the title will emerge will be awarded on the diamond at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha at the conclusion of the College World Series.

The favorite on the eve is definitely Tennessee, which beat the reigning champions LSU in the recent final of the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Volunteers led by the coach of clear Italian origin Tony Vitello can count on the most complete roster in the entire NCAA led by two stars who are sure to be first chosen in the next MLB draft such as second baseman Christian Moore and third baseman Billy Amick. Without forgetting the defending champions LSU with the powerful third baseman Tommy White (24 home runs for him in the season), among the teams most credited for the final success we find Kentucky, for a certain period in first place in the rankings in the season, the always solid Texas A&M and Arkansas, University California Santa Barbara, Georgia of the star Charlie Condon (35 home runs in 2024 and a fantastic .443 average in the box) and Clemson of the fantastic pair of paisa outfielders made up of Tristan Bissetta and Cam Cannarella, the latter being an “acquired” native because he is of Italian origins thanks to his stepfather.

Among the possible surprises, certainly Florida which, despite a difficult season, can count on the talent of the two-way paisà player Jac Caglianone (.415 batting average with 29 home runs and 58 RBIs to which are added 5 victories and only one defeat as a pitcher with 68 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched). Also noteworthy are the always competitive Oregon State led by the Italian-Australian Travis Bazzana, Arizona, Florida State, University of California Santa Barbara with its talented pitching mound, North Carolina State and Duke, fresh winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Reviewing the various Regionals, the one that will certainly see Oklahoma State against Nebraska and above all Florida stands out for their uncertainty, just as the balance will be the protagonist between Clemson, Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina and between Florida State, Central Florida and Alabama. The same goes for the group that includes East Carolina and pre-season favorites Wake Forest and the one made up of Arizona, Dallas Baptist (which many believe deserved a top 16 seed) and West Virginia.

Also on this occasion, the contingent of Italian origins among the participants in the final NCAA tournament was numerous, starting from Caglianone, Bazzana, Bissetta, Cannarella and continuing with Sam Antonacci of Coastal Carolina, with the North Carolina couple Antony Donofrio and Jason DeCaro and the trio of St John’s champion of the Big East Conference composed of Garrett Scavelli, Anthony Brienza and pitcher Mario Pesca.

Let’s stay on the subject of Italy to talk about our Lorenzo Morresi who concluded this NCAA 2024 season with Texas San Antonio, a season which the Macerata receiver himself confirmed to us to have been exhausting given first the health problems and then the inconvenient back injury which combined made him lose many matches. Also disappointed by the outcome of the latest matches against Charlotte and Florida Atlantic, the Macerata native is currently engaged in physiotherapy and rehabilitation and intends, when his physical conditions allow it, to continue the season in Serie A with Macerata before returning to Texas San Antonio in August.

2024-05-31 05:20:43
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