Arkansas fan does unthinkable, gets ejected after scream fest at Tennessee's Tony Vitello

The Tennessee baseball team are the defending national champions, but this year hasn’t been particularly kind to them. Just last Monday, the Vols faced a win-or-go-home game against Wake Forest. With their season on the line, tensions were understandably high—no player wanted to go home.

In the eighth inning of the game, Vols catcher Cannon Peebles was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct directed at the Demon Deacons’ catcher.

“NCAA allowed me exactly one question (through text) to home plate umpire Casey Moser. Q: ‘In a big game with lots of chirping from both teams, what did Cannon Peebles do that was different enough to merit an ejection?’ A: ‘Unsportsmanlike behavior toward the opposing catcher,’” Wes Rucker wrote.

Tennessee ace Liam Doyle was brought in to pitch the final seven outs. Normally, a coach would make the call to the bullpen, but this time, it was Doyle who made the decision himself.

“I never told Liam to go to the bullpen. He came up to me and said, ‘I’m going to the bullpen and I’m not going there to just hang out,’” Tony Vitello said.

The Vols now have to get past Arkansas to return to the Men’s College World Series. Game one didn’t go their way—not only did Tennessee lose, but they managed just two hits the entire game. Emotions ran high, which is expected when two SEC powerhouses clash. However, what happened after the game crossed a line.

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“An Arkansas fan jumped on top of the Tennessee dugout as soon as the game ended, got all the way against the netting and screamed at Tony Vitello. He had to be told to get off the dugout and then told off by security,” Knoxville News Sentinel’s Mike Wilson wrote.

While Tennessee may be one of the most disliked teams in college baseball, standing on a dugout and yelling at a coach is never acceptable. The Vols will look to channel that hostility into motivation for game two on Sunday.