Tony Vitello announces that Tennessee Baseball will be retiring its black alternate uniform for the 2024 season.
Tennessee Baseball will be retiring the black alternate uniform worn during their 6-5 victory over Texas A&M in Game 3 of the College World Series championship series this past June, as announced by head coach Tony Vitello on ‘Vol Club Confidential’.
While the Vols are moving away from this particular black uniform, they will continue to feature black in their apparel, including black hats with an interlocking UT logo, black jerseys with “Vols” in block orange letters, and white pants. However, Vitello indicated that a new version of the black uniform will be introduced in the future.
Vitello shared on the show that the decision to retire the black tops was challenging. He revealed, “We’re going to retire those, and see what we do with them, if some of the guys can take one of those home with them.” He added that the uniforms will still be available in some form, with plans for a redesigned version for the upcoming spring.
When asked about his favorite uniform combination, Vitello noted that while the black alternates were popular, the cream uniforms worn on Sundays at home hold a special place due to their traditional significance. He commented, “When you win the final game in that uni, it’s hard to get away from that,” acknowledging the sentimental value of the black and white combo.
Vitello also mentioned that the players had expressed a desire to wear the black alternates for their Sunday game against Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional, but tradition prevailed, and the team wore their cream uniforms.
Looking ahead, Tennessee will introduce a new, lighter version of the cream uniforms made with an updated fabric, thanks to an enhancement in their deal with Nike. Vitello noted, “Fortunately Nike has kind of boosted our deal a little bit,” which will bring modern material improvements to their uniforms.
