2019 Tennessee Baseball Media Guide | @Vol Baseball
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GENERAL INFO MEDIA INFO COACHES/STAFF PLAYERS 9 OPPONENTS REVIEW RECORDS & HONORS VOLMANAC 2019 TENNESSEE BASEBALL MEDIA GUIDE | @VOL_BASEBALL COACHES & STAFF TONY VITELLO HEAD COACH 22 SECOND SEASON AT TENNESSEE Overall Record: 29-27 (2nd Season) Record at Tennessee: 29-27 Alma Mater: Missouri, 2002 Tony Vitello accepted the position of head coach for the Tennessee Volunteers baseball program on June 7, 2017. CAREER NOTES A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Vitello arrived on Rocky Top following four seasons as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Arkansas. His rise to the head coaching ranks PLAYING EXPERIENCE 2000-2002 Missouri also included stops at Missouri (his alma mater) and TCU. He has earned a reputation as one of the elite recruiters COACHING EXPERIENCE on the college baseball landscape, having assembled eight 2002 Salinas Packers Associate Head Coach top-15 signing classes--including America’s top-rated crop 2003 Missouri Volunteer Asst. Coach of talent in 2014. 2004-10 Missouri Asst. Coach/Recruiting Coord. In November 2016, D1Baseball.com ranked Vitello No. 2011-13 TCU Asst. Coach/Recruiting Coord. 2, and tops in the SEC, on its list of the top 30 recruiting 2014-17 Arkansas Asst. Coach/Recruiting Coord. coordinators in America. 2018-pres. Tennessee Head Coach During a full-time, Division I coaching career spanning just 15 years, Vitello has signed and developed six first- COACHING HIGHLIGHTS round MLB Draft picks and a handful of players who - Led UT to a 9-6 record at home in SEC games in 2018, advanced to the big leagues. That list includes Andrew which was the program’s best conference record at home since 2005. Benintendi, Brandon Finnegan, Kyle Gibson, All-Star Aaron - Rated top recruiter in the SEC and No. 2 recruiter in all of Crow, Gold Glove Award winner and four-time All-Star Ian college baseball by D1Baseball.com in 2016 Kinsler and five-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young - Helped the Razorbacks average nearly 38 wins per year, win- Award winner Max Scherzer. ning 40 or more games three times, appearing in three NCAA “This is as good of an opportunity as there is in the Tournaments and advancing to the 2015 College World Series country,” Vitello said after being hired. “I consider myself - Coached 22 Razorbacks who were selected in four incredibly blessed to be a part of the athletic department at MLB Drafts the University of Tennessee. It’s the ultimate combination - Helped lead TCU to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearanc- of an elite conference, a state school with great in-state es, including a Super Regional berth in 2012 players, a phenomenal city and outstanding tradition that - Horned Frogs started seven freshmen who recruited by exists not just with baseball, but across all sports. Vitello in the NCAA Super Regional at UCLA in 2012 “It’s no coincidence that it’s been a place where so - Final recruiting class at TCU was ranked 17th in the country, many great coaches have been leaders in their sport. I and three student-athletes he signed also played for Team USA want to work like crazy to uphold that standard.” - During time at Missouri, recruited and developed 19 players Vitello already boasts the incredibly rare distinction who were drafted by major league teams, including Ian Kinsler, of having mentored both a National Hitter of the Year Max Scherzer, Aaron Crow, Kyle Gibson, Nick Tepesch, Doug (Benintendi) and National Pitcher of the Year (Crow). Mathis and Justin James Benintendi won the 2015 Golden Spikes Award as - Made the postseason seven times with the Tigers America’s top amateur baseball player after batting .376 - Had top-25 recruiting classes in three of his final four years in with 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Crow-- Columbia, including the 2008 class that ranked No. 11 who Vitello shepherded during his tenure on staff at his nationally by Baseball America alma mater, Missouri--claimed the 2008 Roger Clemens Award following a campaign in which he won 13 games, POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE posted four shutouts, totaled 127 strikeouts and at one MISSOURI 2003 NCAA Regional (Starkville, Miss.) point threw 43 consecutive scoreless innings. 2004 NCAA Regional (Fayetteville, Ark.) Crow became the highest MLB Draft pick in Mizzou 2005 NCAA Regional (Fullerton, Calif.) history when the Washington Nationals selected him ninth 2006 NCAA Super Regional (Fullerton, Calif.) overall that summer. 2007 NCAA Regional (Columbia, Mo.) Benintendi--drafted seventh overall by the Boston 2008 NCAA Regional (Coral Gables, Fla.) Red Sox in 2015 and the recipient of a $3.6 million signing 2009 NCAA Regional (Oxford, Miss.) bonus--is a prime example of Vitello’s abilities in player development. From his freshman to sophomore season, TCU Benintendi improved his batting average by 100 points 2011 NCAA Regional (Fort Worth, Texas) 2012 NCAA Super Regional (Los Angeles, Calif.) and hit 19 more home runs. En route to National Player of the Year honors in 2015, he became just the third player in ARKANSAS SEC history to lead the league in home runs and batting 2014 NCAA Regional (Charlottesville, Va.) average. Just 421 days after being drafted, Benintendi was 2015 College World Series (t-7th) 2017 NCAA Regional (Fayetteville, Ark.) promoted to the Majors. 10 2019 TENNESSEE BASEBALL MEDIA GUIDE | UTSPORTS.COM GENERAL INFO In his first season at YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD Tennessee, Vitello led the Vols to a 29-27 overall YEAR SCHOOL POSITION RECORD PCT POSTSEASON record and engineered 2002 Salinas Packers Assoc. Head Coach 50-14 .781 NBC World Series an impressive turnaround from 2017 in SEC play. CALIFORNIA COLLEGIATE LEAGUE TOTALS After winning just seven Assoc. Head Coach 1 Year 50-14 .781 MEDIA INFO conference games in 2017, Total 1 Year 50-14 .781 Vitello helped lead UT to 12 wins and three series YEAR SCHOOL POSITION RECORD PCT POSTSEASON victories in conference 2003 Missouri Vol. Assistant 36-22 .621 NCAA Regional play, including a sweep of 2004 Missouri Assistant/RC 38-23-1 .621 NCAA Regional Alabama and series victories over ranked foes Texas A&M 2005 Missouri Assistant/RC 45-23 .662 NCAA Regional and Kentucky. Tennessee 2006 Missouri Assistant/RC 35-28 .556 NCAA Supers COACHES/STAFF posted a 9-6 record at home 2007 Missouri Assistant/RC 42-18 .700 NCAA Regional in league play, which was 2008 Missouri Assistant/RC 39-16 .709 NCAA Regional the program’s best since 2005. 2009 Missouri Assistant/RC 35-27 .565 NCAA Regional UT’s offensive numbers 2010 Missouri Assistant/RC 29-26 .527 also saw a significant rise Missouri Totals 8 Years 299-183-1 .620 in Vitello’s first season on Rocky Top as the Vols YEAR SCHOOL POSITION RECORD PCT POSTSEASON increased their season 2011 TCU Assistant/RC 43-19 .694 NCAA Regional PLAYERS totals in runs, hits, home runs, extra-base hits, RBI, 2012 TCU Assistant/RC 40-22 .645 NCAA Supers slugging percentage, walks 2013 TCU Assistant/RC 29-28 .509 and on-base percentage in TCU Totals 3 Years 112-69 .619 2018 despite losing their top two hitters from 2017. YEAR SCHOOL POSITION RECORD PCT POSTSEASON OPPONENTS Arkansas stood among 2014 Arkansas Assistant/RC 40-25 .615 NCAA Regional the most competitive programs in the nation 2015 Arkansas Assistant/RC 40-25 .615 CWS during Vitello’s four seasons 2016 Arkansas Assistant/RC 26-29 .473 in Fayetteville, averaging 2017 Arkansas Assistant/RC 45-19 .703 NCAA Regional REVIEW RECORDS & HONORS VOLMANAC nearly 38 wins per year, Arkansas Totals 4 Years 151-98 .606 winning 40 or more games three times, appearing in three NCAA Tournaments YEAR SCHOOL POSITION RECORD PCT POSTSEASON and advancing to the 2015 2018 Tennessee Head Coach 29-27 .518 College World Series. That Tennessee Totals 1 Year 29-27 .518 2015 squad set a school record with a stellar .975 DIVISION I TOTALS team fielding percentage. Assistant Coach 15 Years 562-350-1 .616 This season, Arkansas Head Coach 1 Year 29-27 .518 belted an SEC-best 83 home runs en route to 45 wins. Total 16 Years 591-377-1 .610 Vitello coached 22 Razorbacks who were *12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 15 seasons as a Division I assistant coach selected in four MLB Drafts. America, and he had top-25 recruiting classes in three of Vitello’s tenure with the Razorbacks was preceded his final four years in Columbia. by three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting During his time as a Tiger assistant coach, Vitello coordinator at TCU (which was a member of the Mountain recruited and developed 19 players who were drafted by West in his first season [2011] before joining the Big 12). major league teams, including major leaguers Kinsler, Prior to that, he was an assistant coach and recruiting Scherzer, Crow, Gibson, Nick Tepesch, Doug Mathis and coordinator at Missouri (then a member of the Big 12) for Justin James. eight years. A three-year letterwinner at Missouri (2000-02), In his three years at TCU, Vitello lured some of the Vitello earned Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors top players in the country to Fort Worth and helped the as a senior and was named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Horned Frogs to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, Honor Roll twice. Following his playing career and the including a Super Regional berth in 2012. The Horned completion of his management degree at MU, Vitello Frogs started seven freshmen, recruited by Vitello, in the joined the Missouri coaching staff as a volunteer assistant Super Regional at UCLA. His final recruiting class at TCU in 2003 and completed his course work for his master’s was ranked 17th in the country, and three student-athletes degree in Business.