The world was watching on June 24 as Tennessee defeated Texas A&M to capture its first national title in the history of the baseball program. Behind the scenes and on the field, Knox News was working tirelessly to capture the biggest moments during the Vols’ quest for gold.
Brianna Paciorka, a visual journalist for Knox News and producer of the podcast “The Scruffy Stuff,” was in the middle of the action throughout championship weekend. Her job: to photograph history. Her tireless work paid off with stunning photos that capture the excitement and emotions surrounding Tennessee’s victory.
Paciorka recently joined host Ryan Wilusz on “The Scruffy Stuff” to discuss how she approached this historic task, what was going through her head as the final game was coming to a close and why watching the confetti fall was also a highlight of her career.
Below you’ll find an edited transcript of the discussion on “The Scruffy Stuff,” an award-winning podcast about downtown Knoxville with new episodes every Tuesday.
This episode is available in full in the podcast player below.
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How Knox News captured Tennessee’s College World Series win
Ryan Wilusz: What did you have to do to prepare for something like this?
Brianna Paciorka: I actually (hadn’t) been to Omaha before. But like I’ve said in other episodes, I’m from Louisiana. I graduated from LSU. LSU actually won the College World Series last year, so I completely understand how special Omaha is and the College World Series. … It was a crazy trip. I didn’t find out I was going until after they won the second game that first Sunday. So it was kind of a mad dash to figure out what my travel plans were, getting everything together. … Of course, you don’t know how long you’re going to be there. You might be there for two games. I was there for five games. Having to pack enough clothes and all the gear and then all your camera gear, which is very stressful − it was a lot.
Ryan: What was it like to be a part of that in a way that other people can’t?
Brianna: They had where[the teams enter]the stadium and the locker rooms kind of near where the photo room was where we were editing the photos. If we weren’t there taking pictures of them coming in on the buses, we could hear the teams coming in. They’d come in with a boom box, they’d be blasting hip-hop music. You could hear them getting excited for the games. … There was a practice on the Friday before the finals where both teams got some time on the actual field to practice. And it’s kind of fun to sit there and listen to the kind of music they play during batting practice and watch them laugh and have fun while they’re catching balls and swinging their bats in the batting cage.
Ryan: How do you feel about being around Tony Vitello?
Brianna: I noticed that a lot of the times I photographed him the most were times when there were fans around, like him getting off the bus or after Game 3 and stuff. And what really impressed me is that he actually took the time to acknowledge the fans. He got off the bus, he held up a few fingers acknowledging the fans. He went out of his way to try to fist bump the fans on the way into the stadium. After the (final game) … he came out kind of near the Tennessee bullpen. Some fans were yelling at him, and some actually convinced him to pull out their phones and take some selfies and stuff like that.
Ryan: Baseball is a slow game overall, but it’s fast in the moment when a play is actually happening. I’m wondering, through your eyes, what you’re looking for… when you’re filming a game like this, and anything that was going through your head when you’re taking these swings − with also the mindset that this is your job to document history. I don’t know if you actively think about that when you’re doing this. But how did you approach it?
Brianna: Before games, I get messages from a number of people above me saying, “We need you to take certain types of photos because we’re planning on doing poster prints.” … There were things that I knew I had to take. I’m also, I admit, a very anxious person. So the whole time, at least on Monday, I was just trying to tell myself that this was just like another game, because otherwise I would psych myself up, which was probably a good thing. Because if you watched the last inning of the game on (June 24), going into the last inning it was like, “Yeah, they’re going to win, they’re going to win.” And then all of a sudden it was like, “Uhh, maybe not.” So it was a lot of like, “Oh my gosh, do I have to change my plan and everything?”
Having some knowledge of baseball helps you get the real shots of the game. But also, Tennessee is a very emotional team. They show a lot of emotion. So it’s not just sitting there taking pictures of the action, but continuing to take pictures as things happen because they’re going to celebrate in some way by doing that. And that’s where the best shots are.
Ryan: What was your favorite moment you managed to capture while you were there?
Brianna: Three come to mind right away, if I could give three. The first one, actually, was our front-page photo on[June 24]. It’s the photo of Christian Moore hugging Dylan Dreiling at the plate after Dreiling hit that two-run home run that basically clinched the win on[June 23]. That was probably one of them. I knew going into the game that I needed a vertical front-page photo, a poster photo. And as soon as… I got that photo and realized I was in focus – there were no ESPN cameras in my way or anything… I immediately texted Saul Young, who was taking my photos here in Knoxville, and I said, “This is our poster photo. This is what’s going to be on the front page.”
Ryan:Not only did I see the emotion of that moment, but I also saw the exhaustion.
Brianna: Christian Moore looks very relieved and thinks, “Oh my God, we did it.” …
Another one that I really loved, I took a picture of it—it’s a wider shot. It’s got the players at the bottom, and you see the confetti at the top. And right in the middle, you see Drew Beam, and he’s looking up and his hand is up in the sky like he’s trying to catch confetti. And then you see all these smiling faces. And I really love that picture.
And then I think my third one would probably be, and it was in our special section… you open it up, and it’s a double-page photo. And it’s of the team sitting on the floor. You see the confetti on the floor. They’re all watching the highlights of the game on the scoreboard. And you see the stadium, it says, “Charles Schwab Field Omaha.” You see some of the names of the fellow Omaha teams, and they’re all smiling and holding up their individual trophies. It’s not like a flashy piece, but you can see… it’s like that first moment where they actually got to sit down as a team and actually watch the highlights of their trip to Omaha. … It looks beautiful blown up.
Ryan: Is there anything else you can do to reveal behind-the-scenes highlights from your trip?
Brianna: If you’re a baseball fan and you get a chance to go to Omaha, you have to go. It’s a beautiful ballpark. One of the highlights, the best parts—and honestly a highlight of my career—was during Game 1 of the final series. I know it was a loss, but there was the most beautiful sunset at that game. The sky was just this beautiful shade of blue and pink, and the lights were on the field. They always talk about how baseball is like the most beautiful sport. That night was just unbelievably magical in that moment. …
The whole town embraces the College World Series. There was a coffee shop that Mike (Wilson) and I would go to almost every day. And when the playoffs came around and it was Tennessee and Texas A&M, their tip jar was like, “Who do you think will win?” with both teams’ logos on it. Everywhere we went, people were talking about the College World Series. They were selling special items for it. I bought a T-shirt that said, “The best baseball is in Omaha.”
Ryan: We cover a lot of stuff (as journalists). And sometimes things that seem really exciting to the average person can seem a little more routine to us just because you’ve filmed games before, written stories before, gone behind the scenes before. Did you feel anything different inside yourself?
Brianna: It felt like an out-of-body experience. Because I’m in that work mode… but also realizing that Rick Barnes was on the field and Josh Heupel was there and Peyton Manning was there, and everybody was excited. And you see all the players are excited. The fans are going crazy. In the moment, I was definitely aware that this was a big deal. There’s a picture of me where I have confetti on my legs from kneeling on the ground and taking pictures.
But then when you’re sitting in that photo room editing photos and you just realize, “Wow. We’re going to have covers that are going to be sold out. People are going to want these.” And then just getting random comments from people saying how great the photos are. And just kind of realizing that yes, it’s sports, but at the same time this is a huge moment in Tennessee sports history and for Knoxville. …
Just seeing people’s response and seeing how much they like my photos and realizing that, yeah, I did a really good job − that’s really nice. I’m getting a little emotional thinking about it. I’m not a Tennessee fan. So ultimately, it doesn’t mean as much to me as it does to other people. But knowing that the fans think I did a really good job means a lot, more than my own bosses saying things.
Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff.
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