Tony Vitello is the head coach for Tennessee baseball, but he was keenly aware and upset of the recent news for Tennessee basketball.

That would be the recent knee injury for star point guard Zakai Zeigler. After going down in Tuesday’s win over Arkansas, it was announced Wednesday that Zeigler has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

Vitello joined many from Vols nation to extend his heartfelt condolences and well-wishes to Zeigler with the news of the injury:

“On behalf of our team, I can tell you sunken hearts today and last night for Zakai,” said Vitello. “That guy kind of embodies what we are trying to do around here. The way he plays, the way he works and the way he carries himself off the field. If I was a Kentucky basketball player, I would not like that guy… But if I was a young kid, a 6-year-old, running around the stands in any SEC city, I’d love that guy. He’s just so good off the field.”

Hopefully, Zeigler is able to rehab and return at full strength for the 2023-24 season, but the injury puts Tennessee in a bad spot with tournament time quickly approaching.

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Tennessee online sports betting officially launched on November 1, 2020, and many of the largest sportsbooks are live and operating in the volunteer state. Tennessee is only one of a handful of SEC football states with legalized sports betting.