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Tony Vitello discusses Chase Burns' pitching career ahead of MLB Speedway Classic
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- Tony Vitello discusses Chase Burns' pitching career ahead of MLB Speedway Classic
Cincinnati (58-53) and Atlanta (46-63) will conclude a three-game series Saturday. Saturday's series finale will be contested at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
First pitch between the Braves and Reds is slated for 7:15 p.m. EDT and the National League contest will be televised by Fox.
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Former Tennessee pitcher Chase Burns (0-3) is projected to start for Cincinnati in the MLB Speedway Classic.
He played for the Vols from 2022-23 before transferring to Wake Forest in 2024. Tennessee won the 2022 SEC Tournament and regular-season championship, and advanced to the 2023 College World Series.
Burns was selected No. 2 overall in the first round of the 2024 MLB draft by the Reds.
Ahead of Saturday's matchup at Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello appeared on MLB Network in Bristol and discussed his former pitcher.
Vitello was asked what he thought of Burns when he saw him for the first time and what he thinks about him now in MLB.
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"It was actually just playing catch, and I saw his dad is extremely physical, so at the time he was a real lean skinny kid, but you had a hunch he was going to get more physical," Vitello said. "Just playing catch, an incredibly elastic arm with a lot of range of motion. You envision velocity, but it came in triple digits. It was also a deal where the right-handed slider against right-handed hitters was incredibly dominant.
"We've talked off the side, I think there are a lot of people who like to pick at him because he's burst on the scene so quickly. The bottom line is, he's always been good, and he's good right now. It should make for a good matchup tomorrow."
More: MLB Speedway Classic to feature starting pitchers with Knoxville ties
More: Chase Burns pitches shutout in return to Knoxville
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Tony Vitello discusses Chase Burns ahead of 2025 MLB Speedway Classic
