Tony Vitello 'gets the call' and will leave Tennessee for MLB managerial position

Tennessee baseball is in the market for a new baseball coach as Tony Vitello is leaving Rocky Top after eight seasons to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants. According to a report from Pete Thamel, Vitello is finalizing a deal to manage the eight-time World Series champions. Volquest can confirm the news.

The two sides have been in active talks for several weeks with negotiations heating up last week. Vitello was initially listed as a potential candidate by The Athletic when the organization parted ways with former manager Bob Melvin in late September. Tennessee made a late push and was in conversations with Vitello and his representation over the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, The Athletic reported the San Francisco Giants were “closing in” on hiring Tony Vitello away from Tennessee. When asked if he had agreed to become the next manager of the Giants on Saturday afternoon, Vitello told Volquest “I haven’t.” A Tennessee spokesman issued no comment to Volquest when reached out to on Saturday afternoon following the report. Vitello was on campus for Tennessee fall practice Sunday, Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

There’s plenty of Tennessee connections for Vitello in his new venture in San Francisco. Former Vol superstar and fan favorite, Drew Gilbert, spent the last month and a half with the Giants on the big-league roster. The organization also traded for former Vol Blade Tidwell this past season and drafted infielder Gavin Kilen with the No. 12 overall pick in July. Infielder Maui Ahuna, who spent the 2023 season with Tennessee, is also a part of the organization.

Vitello’s separation pay from Tennessee is $3 million as he leaves before June 30, 2026. He was once the highest paid coach in college baseball, signing a five-year extension in August of 2024 worth $3 million annually after leading Tennessee to its first national championship in program history.  

With the move, Vitello is making Major League Baseball history becoming the first manager hired in the big leagues with no professional baseball experience. 

Dick Howser went straight from Florida State in 1979 to manage the New York Yankees in 1980, but he previously served as the bench coach in New York for nine seasons and was even named interim manager for one game in 1978 before taking the job at his alma mater the next year.

Pat Murphy is the current manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. He coached at Notre Dame from 1988-1994 and then for Arizona State from 1995-2009 before moving up to professional baseball as a coach in the San Diego Padres organization from 2010-2015. He served as interim manager to conclude the 2015 season before moving on to the Brewers organization as bench coach for eight seasons before being named skipper ahead of the 2024 season.    

Vitello has never played or coached in affiliated baseball. He played at Missouri from 2000-2002. He coached collegiate summer baseball in 2002 before spending eight years on staff at his alma mater. Vitello then coached at TCU from 2011-2013 and at Arkansas from 2014-2017 before accepting his first head coaching opportunity at Tennessee in the summer of 2017.  

Vitello logged a 341-131 record while at Tennessee in eight seasons at the helm. He leaves Tennessee as the third-winningest head coach in program history, behind Rod Delmonico (699-396 in 18 seasons) and Bill Wright (408, 308-2 in 19 seasons). His .722 winning percentage is the best in school history.

Under Vitello’s leadership, Tennessee baseball secured the first national championship in program history in 2024 and made three trips to the College World Series in total. Tennessee amassed five-straight super regional appearances from 2021-2025 and made the postseason tournament in six of the seven seasons there was postseason play (2020 no tournament due to COVID) during his stint.     

Vitello won the Southeastern Conference regular season twice (2022, 2024), the conference tournament twice (2022, 2024) and the SEC Eastern Division three times (2021, 2022, 2024) before the conference shifted away from divisions prior to the 2025 campaign.

The skipper was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2022 and was a two-time Perfect Game Coach of the Year (2021, 2022). Vitello also reeled in Coach of the Year honors from the NCBWA (2021) and ABCA (2024).  

During the banner season in 2024, Tennessee became the first No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament to win the College World Series since Miami accomplished the feat in 1999. The Vols were also just the fourth No. 1 overall seed to reach the Finals series. The Vols’ 60 wins were the most of any program since Florida State in 2022 and the most of any national champion since Wichita State back in 1989.

Vitello’s program brought a revival to Big Orange baseball and took it to unprecedented levels. It also fueled a $100+ million renovation project to Lindsey Nelson Stadium that is set to be completed this off-season. 

Tennessee Vice chancellor/Director of athletics Danny White released the following statement on the heels of Vitello’s departure:

“Congratulations to Tony on this incredible opportunity to lead the San Francisco Giants. We wish him the best as he embarks on this new chapter in his career and thank him for everything he has done to transform Tennessee baseball into a championship program.

“The growth of baseball on Rocky Top has been remarkable, culminating in the 2024 National Championship.

“We are committed to continuously investing in the program at a championship level across all areas. Furthermore, the upcoming $109 million renovation of Lindsey Nelson Stadium will transform it into one of the premier baseball venues, providing an exceptional experience for the best fans in all of sports. Our focus is on our players and coaching staff while finalizing the next steps in this evolving process.” — Danny White

University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman released the following statement following the news of Vitello’s exit:

“Tony has built an incredible baseball program at Tennessee. He’s had unprecedented success in a short time with focus on teamwork and player development. I will never forget the night our baseball team brought home its first national championship.

“As a fan and lover of baseball, I am grateful for the energy and excitement Tony has created, and the way the baseball program has brought people together. We will continue to build on this strong foundation. I wish Tony all the best in San Francisco.” — Donde Plowman