The postseason has not been particularly kind to Tennessee starting pitcher Chris Stamos, who has been pulled quickly in each of his three starts, including on Friday night in Omaha against Florida State.
Stamos lasted just one out, lifted after giving up one run on one hit and a walk.
Coach Tony Vitello admitted he’d have liked to stick with Stamos longer, but things just didn’t quite work out that way on Friday night.
“That bothers me that he came out of the game that quick,” Vitello said. “It would have been interesting to see how things would have taken place — the first play was tricky. It’s a different field, gorgeous field, but it’s a different field. And I don’t know that I managed our practice time as well as I needed to yesterday.
“I mean, you don’t get much time to get used to it and they cut it. It’s not like our guys weren’t focused. I promise you, we coached, but it looked like we were disoriented in some of those situations.”
Florida State only plated the one run in the top of the first inning, so the decision to lift Chris Stamos paid off in the short term. Tennessee would build a nice little lead in the contest before the Seminoles put up a six-spot in the top of the third inning to take the lead.
Still, the decision to lift Stamos might mean he’s available for a start in another couple days.
“[He] was throwing the ball very well,” Vitello said. “As soon as I took one step out of the dugout, I’d have to look at the video, I forget what he said. Some sort of phrase. I don’t think there was a cuss word in there, but he was as frustrated as I was that we had to take him out.”
Reasonably so, too.
Chris Stamos lasted just one out in a Regional start against Northern Kentucky, giving up a run on two hits. He then pitched against Evansville in the Super Regional but went only 1.1 innings.
So he just hasn’t gotten much posteason work.
Luckily for Tennessee, things worked out on Friday night. The Volunteers won a thrilling 12-11 contest in walk-off fashion to move to the winner’s bracket.
“Each guy after that kind of did what they had to do,” Vitello said of his pitchers. “Those are more walks than you’re typically going to see out of a coach (Frank) Anderson pitching staff. They’re very dangerous in the lineup. There was some plays we could have made behind him. All in all, hot mess. It’s not going to be pretty. Doesn’t have to be pretty this time of year, just gotta keep fighting.”
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