Tennessee baseball staffer Luke Bonfield leaving for assistant role at Pitt

Long-time Tennessee baseball staffer Luke Bonfield is moving on to his next venture, leaving Knoxville after six seasons to take a position with Pitt Baseball.

Bonfield will serve as recruiting coordinator with the Panthers and also work with the outfielders while coaching third base on the base paths. The news was first reported by GoVols247 and Bonfield confirmed the move to Volquest on Thursday morning.

“The University of Tennessee for the last six years has been family to me,” Bonfield told Volquest. “Can’t thank Tony [Vitello], Josh [Elander] and all the guys over there enough for everything they have done for me and my family and everything that I’ve learned.”

Bonfield has been with the Vols since the 2020 campaign, working in a variety of roles. He was first brought on as a gradate student manager before being promoted to Director of Player Development in 2021 and then to what was his current position of Director of Recruiting Operations following the 2024 campaign.

Along with those primary duties, Bonfield also assisted with the Tennessee outfielders and held other secondary responsibilities on a day-to-day basis.

Prior to his coaching career, Bonfield was a career .287 hitter for Arkansas where he played under current Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, who was serving as the Hogs’ top-assistant at the time. The outfielder belted 26 career home runs and drove in 139 runs at the plate, playing a massive role in Arkansas’ College World Series Finals appearance in 2018.   

Bonfield went on to play two seasons of pro ball in the independent league and was originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 21^st Round back in 2014 out of IMG Academy.  

While on staff at Tennessee, the Vols made five NCAA Tournament appearances, five Super Regional appearances, three College World Series appearances, claimed one national championship and four combined Southeastern Conference titles.