Vitello Tabbed as National Coach of the Year by NCBWA

Vitello Tabbed as National Coach of the Year by NCBWA

Posted on June 18, 2021
Coach of the Year / Credit: UT Athletics

PULLMAN, Wash. – Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello has been named the 2021 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Mike Martin National Coach of the Year, the organization announced on Friday.

Vitello becomes just the second head coach in program history to earn National Coach of the Year honors, joining legendary Vols’ skipper Rod Delmonico, who was named National Coach of the Year by Baseball America in 1995. Delmonico led Tennessee to three of its previous four trips to the College World Series (1995, 2001, 2005) and is the program’s career leader in wins with 699 during his time on Rocky Top.

Vitello was also named National Coach of the Year by Perfect Game on Friday, making him the first coach in program history to earn coach of the year honors from two separate organizations.

With an 11-6 win over Georgia on March 19, Vitello became the fastest head coach in program history to win 100 career games with the Vols, overtaking Delmonico’s mark of 163 games. Vitello needed just 153 contests to accomplish the feat.

Vitello has guided Tennessee to one of its best seasons in program history, leading the Big Orange to a 50-16 record and their first College World Series appearance since 2005. The Vols’ 50 wins are the most in a season since a program-record 54 victories in 1995.

Under Vitello’s guidance, UT won its first SEC Eastern division title since 1997 after posting a 20-10 record in league play and winning eight of its 10 conference series, including all five series on the road. Tennessee also made its first appearance in the SEC Tournament Championship Game since 1995.

The Vols will begin their run in Omaha on Sunday afternoon against Virginia following a perfect 5-0 record in the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. UT hosted its first regional since 2005 and its first-ever super regional.

The NCBWA Coach of the Year Award, introduced in 2008, is voted on by the NCBWA Board of Directors, and chosen from a list that includes all Division I conference coaches of the year and the coaches of the eight NCAA College World Series teams.

In 2020, the NCBWA board of directors voted unanimously to name the annual award after Mike Martin, the winningest head coach in NCAA Division I baseball history after he retired at Florida State in 2019 with a 2,029-736-4 mark over 40 seasons in leading the FSU program from 1980-2019.

To read the complete release from the NCBWA, click HERE.

-UT Athletics

George Birge Found Magic In “Beer Beer Truck Truck” – Now He’s Ready For Whatever’s Next

George Birge Found Magic In “Beer Beer Truck Truck” – Now He’s Ready For Whatever’s Next

Posted on June 18, 2021

Inspiration for songs come from all different places…sometimes it’s a thought you have, or a phrase you hear, or it’s a response to a TikTok video.

When it comes to George Birge‘s “Beer Beer Truck Truck,” he says “This was a song I never meant to finish, I started writing it as a tongue in cheek response to Erynn’s video and could have never imagined the support that listeners showed me. It’s been a wild ride and I can’t wait to show the world what we turned this song into.”

Responding to that video with his new song “Beer Beer Truck Truck” has been a life changer for George – with over 3 million views, hundreds of thousands of new followers and now signed to the label RECORDS Nashville, he’s excited for whatever comes next, “I have never been more ready to start this new chapter in my life. These songs, this opportunity and the team around me are everything I’ve ever dreamed of, and I hope this gives you a glimpse into who I am and where I’m headed.”

Get to know a little more about George Birge right here…

George adds, “I play live music so that I can write songs and get in the studio, because that’s where my passion is…I love that rush you get when you find something magical.”

Watch the music video for “Beer Beer Truck Truck” from George Birge – available now…

Photo Credit: Dustin Haney

A Day In The Country – June 18th – Ingrid Andress, Thomas Rhett, Kip Moore, Jimmie Allen & Blake Shelton

A Day In The Country – June 18th – Ingrid Andress, Thomas Rhett, Kip Moore, Jimmie Allen & Blake Shelton

Posted on June 18, 2021

This is A Day in the Country with Paul Koffy – June 18th

On this day in 2020, Ingrid Andress’ “More Hearts Than Mine” is certified Platinum

In 2016 Thomas Rhett was at number-one with “T-Shirt”

In 2012 Kip Moore sent “Beer Money” to country radio

And sending out two Happy birthdays…first to Jimmie Allen

and also to Blake Shelton…

Photo Credit: Andrew Eccles

Kenny Chesney Can’t Wait To Be Here and Now in 2022

Kenny Chesney Can’t Wait To Be Here and Now in 2022

Posted on June 18, 2021

Kenny Chesney broke news on his 2022 tour…

Kenny says “When we hit pause on our 2020 tour, I never thought we would go much past the fall, let alone into 2021, the idea that it would be three years before I would stand in the end zone of Gillette Stadium, where No Shoes Nation was born, wasn’t something any of us could conceive. I still can’t really believe it. But in the middle of all of this, I know it’s true… and I know how much I miss being out there, being in the thick of the most passionate place in the world: No Shoes Nation. Anywhere they plant their flags, bring their passion, their friends and their will to rock, it reminds me that to be in the moment is everything No Shoes Nation is about!”

Kenny says that he held off making a tour announcement until he knew that he could set things is motion, “With every city, county and state having their own protocols, with capacity numbers shifting every day, I didn’t want to announce until we knew we could come full on… strong… and without a care in the world. I always want to be that place where you can let go, feel safe and have the time of the summer. After a lot of work on a lot of people’s parts, a lot of cooperation from the folks at the stadiums, the places we’re coming and the teams we share those venues with, we’re ready to announce the Here And Now 2022 Stadium Tour.”

Blue Chair Bay Rum Presents Here And Now 2022 Fueled by Marathon
April 23 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Fla.
May 7 Busch Stadium St. Louis, Mo.
May 14 American Family Field Milwaukee, Wis.
May 21 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Ga.
May 28 Nissan Stadium Nashville, Tenn.
June 4 AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas
June 11 Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 18 Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pa.
June 25 Soldier Field Chicago, Ill.
July 2 GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Mo.
July 9 Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, Mont.
July 16 Lumen Field Seattle, Wash.
July 23 SoFi Stadium Inglewood, Calif.
July 30 Empower Field at Mile High Denver, Colo.
August 6 U.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minn.
August 13 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, N.J.
August 20 Ford Field Detroit, Mich.
August 26 Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass.
August 27 Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass.

Kenny is just as excited for these concert dates as the fans are, “Like it does for everyone, the idea of music, live music, fills me up. Nothing is so in the moment, so completely alive. I want to start 2022 with the awesome rush that embodies everything playing for No Shoes Nation is. We’re calling the tour Here And Now 2022, because when we get together, there is only the present – and it’s so electric and good, I know I don’t want it to end. I just want to be 100% there with all of you.”

Kenny also thinks the name of the tour is perfect, “Literally, here and now. In the moment. All of us together, like we’ve been so many times, but fresh and alive and in the music. That’s why we’re calling it Here And Now 2022. It’s the perfect name for this tour – I can’t wait!”

This is one of the songs that fans will finally get to hear Kenny sing live and in person in 2022…”Knowing You.”

Photo Credit: Allister Ann

Jordan Davis Was Almost Maybe As Nervous As He’s Ever Been

Jordan Davis Was Almost Maybe As Nervous As He’s Ever Been

Posted on June 18, 2021

This past weekend Jordan Davis returned to the concert stage for a show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Jordan reacts to playing his first show back after the shutdown of 2020, “You know, being back playing that first show, having a full crowd, full band, feeling like it was normal again, it was crazy.”

He adds, “I don’t think we knew how much we missed it, and I haven’t been that nervous, since…I can’t tell you the last time I had nerves like that walking on a stage. But man, after that first song, it really did feel like we were back.”

Jordan will have more shows throughout 2021, with many festival and fair dates – as well as his own Buy Dirt tour.

Of course fans singing along to this one helped calm those nerves – check out the music video for Jordan Davis’ “Almost Maybes’ right here…

Photos Courtesy of Jordan Davis

Chris Young Had His New Song Just Fall In His Lap

Chris Young Had His New Song Just Fall In His Lap

Posted on June 18, 2021

As fans eagerly await the August release of Chris Young‘s next album, Famous Friends, they can get one more piece of the musical puzzle right now with “Rescue Me” – a song that Chris says just “kind of fell into my lap.”

Talking about the track, Chris says “‘Rescue Me’ is one of those songs that kind of fell into my lap. The other four guys that I wrote it with had kind of started the idea. They shot me a short little clip was like, ‘hey, seeing if this something you’d be interested in’ And I was like, ‘absolutely.’ And actually, if you go look at the production credit, part of the reason why it’s me and Mark Holman is a lot of that was from the original track that he built a lot of stuff that he played. And I actually sing that in one of my mics in my little downstairs studio. So when I tell you guys that this song is something that jumped off the page and was really special and made during the whole craziness of the past year and a half, it’s 100% true.”

Chris cowrote “Rescue Me” with Mark Holman, Josh Hoge, and Christian Davis Stainecker – and it’s one of the 14-tracks on his upcoming album Famous Friends that is available August 6th.

Listen to the new track right here…

And you can also check out the music video for the album’s title track that features Kane Brown, here…

Photo Credit: Jeff Johnson

Dan + Shay Share Their Secret to Success

Dan + Shay Share Their Secret to Success

Posted on June 18, 2021

Dan + Shay are one of the hottest country music acts around. They’re winning awards, creating number-one hit songs, and once they get back on the road, they’ll return to selling out venues and entertaining fans across the nation.

So, when it comes to finding out why the combination of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney works so well, Dan shares the winning formula, “Balance is definitely part of what makes Dan + Shay work.”

Dan adds, “When we found each other our songwriting balance, and our performing, and our harmonies kind of just met in the middle and created a sound that was unique, that people hadn’t heard before. Still till this day every-time we write we know our roles and we know where to balance each other out so that’s one of the Ying and Yang, ebb and flow things that makes this whole project work and makes it what it is today.”

“Glad You Exist” is their latest track in a string of hit songs that is climbing the country music charts.

Fans will be able to sing along with the guys on this when their The (Arena) Tour kicks off in September.

Check out “Glad You Exist” from the balanced Dan + Shay right here…

Photo Credit: Catherine Powell

Kylie Morgan Says that Music Is Cheaper Than Therapy

Kylie Morgan Says that Music Is Cheaper Than Therapy

Posted on June 18, 2021

Kylie Morgan recently released her EP, Love Kylie…

After having a hand in writing all 6 tracks on the project, Kylie jokes that creating music is “cheaper than therapy.”

But it’s always been that way for her.

Kylie shares that her special connection to music, dates back to when she was a little girl, “My guitar and my CD player was my therapy all growing up – and it truly was one of those things that that’s why I love to write music because you can get everything out on paper and on…with a melody and then I swear after I write a song about something that I’m going through…it’s like a giant exhale for me. I feel so much better, and I can even place my thoughts better by just writing then down and putting them into a song. So, it is definitely therapy…and it’s cheaper than therapy, so that’s exciting (laugh).”

From “Cheating On You,” to “I Only Date Cowboys,” to the EP’s lead track, “Shoulda” – Kylie’s fingerprints are all over the music on this collection, “This EP is the most personal thing I’ve ever created. Every song is a chapter in my life.”

Love, Kylie Track Listing
1. “Shoulda” (Kylie Morgan, Shane McAnally, Ben Johnson)
2. “I Only Date Cowboys” (Kylie Morgan, Nate Kenyon, Jay Allen)
3. “Outdoor Voices” (Kylie Morgan, Emily Falvey, Benjamin Joel Johnson)
4. “Break Things” (Kylie Morgan, Aaron Eshuis, James McNair, Nicolette Hayford)
5. “Cheating On You” (Kylie Morgan, Benjamin Joel Johnson, Geoffrey Warburton, Jeffrey Garrison)
6. “Mad I Need You” (Kylie Morgan, Nicholas Oliver Ruth, Emily Weisband)

Check out the music video for “Shoulda” from Kylie Morgan right here…

For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit www.KylieMorgan.com

Headline Photo Courtesy of Kylie Morgan

Additional Photo Credit: Katie Kauss

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