Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello drops quote about the SEC that every fan base can agree with

Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello dropped a quote on Tuesday evening about life in the SEC that every fan base can agree with. 

Well, every SEC fan base at least. 

Vitello was asked by reporters after Tennessee's 6-3 win against Queens how he handles being ranked No. 1 in 2024 compared to being ranked No. 1 in 2022 (when the Vols came up short of reaching Omaha). 

The Tennessee head coach was quick to point out that winning games -- especially in the SEC -- is what really matters, not where a team is ranked. 

"The SEC tournament is a party like no other, but the best way to party is to win games," said Vitello on Tuesday. 

The SEC Tournament is certainly a party. And it's where some of the best college baseball in the country will be played this spring. 

And Vitello is right. The best way to have fun and "party" at the SEC Tournament is to win games. Otherwise, it's not much fun. 

Vitello knows, thanks in part to his experience in 2022, that being ranked No. 1 in early May has zero to do with how his team will perform in the SEC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament. The focus has to be on winning games, not how the team is viewed on a national level. 

Fortunately for the Vols, that appears to be exactly the approach that Tennessee baseball is taking this spring. And that's likely a big part of the reason why the Vols are playing at a championship level right now.