The Tennessee Volunteers have one of the better coaches in college baseball history, solidified with many different people who is at the top of the game from when they were coaching. Prior to Tony Vitello accepting another job, which was done on Wednesday, the Vols baseball coach was arguably the best college baseball coach across the nation.
This helped him solidify himself as a one-of-one manager in the history of the MLB before even coaching a program. When Vitello accepted the job to be the San Francisco Giants manager, he made MLB history. Here’s how this was the case.
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello greet the 250 youth who are taking part in a baseball camp with Tennessee baseball players at Gibbs Ruritan Park on Sept. 28, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The event is hosted by the Morgan Wallen Foundation, which donated $140,000 in 2024 to renovate the park. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Tennessee Volunteers baseball coach is one of the better coaches in college history, as he is now the first and only college baseball coach to make a direct move up to the MLB for a manager job. Every coach in college to move up to the MLb took on a smaller role, but that wasn’t teh case with Vitello.
This is basically the equal role in the MLb as a college baseball head coach. For those who want the exact explanation, read what Wikipedia had to say below.
The manager chooses the batting order and starting pitcher before each game, and makes substitutions throughout the game – among the most significant being those decisions regarding when to bring in a relief pitcher. How much control a manager takes in a game’s strategy varies from manager to manager and from game to game. Some managers control pitch selection, defensive positioning, decisions to bunt, steal, pitch out, etc., while others designate an assistant coach or a player (often the catcher) to make some or all of these decisions,” according to Wikipedia.
Wikipedia also discussed more of their roles.
“Some managers choose to act as their team’s first base or third base coach while their team is batting in order to more closely communicate with baserunners, but most managers delegate this responsibility to an assistant. Managers are typically assisted by two or more coaches.”
The Tennessee Volunteers will now begin their coaching search, as they have hopes of being able to patch up the massive hole that Vitello left, not because he was a bad coach, but because he is irreplaceable. This will be the toughest part of losing the new Giants manager, as the Vols need to move quick, as the season will begin in February.
Make sure you stay tuned with Vols On SI for the latest updates and news on the situation.