Tennessee athletics director Danny White is embarking on a national search for a new baseball manager following the San Francisco Giants’ historic hiring of Tony Vitello on Wednesday, but is not daunted by the awkward time of year on the college baseball calendar.
Vitello left the Volunteers after eight years, becoming the first manager to go from college directly to Major League Baseball without prior professional experience. White said that Vitello kept him informed “every step of the way” during his discussions with the Giants.
“This is not a sad day. It’s a proud day,” White said. “Congratulations to Tony Vitello. This is something that has never been accomplished before, so I think it’s a testament to obviously Tony Vitello, but everybody that has ever played for him, coached for him, our fans that have supported the program.”
The move comes a little more than a year after Vitello led Tennessee to a national title, and White believes Vitello helped raise the program to one of the most attractive in the country.
“We’ve had an unprecedented run of success the last four or five years and what he has built is absolutely phenomenal,” White said.
Pitching coach Frank Anderson was appointed the interim coach, and White asked associate head coach Josh Elander to be a candidate for the full-time position.
“I think we have a top-three, maybe the best baseball job in America,” White said. “I think it is an extremely attractive position, obviously a little bit unique time of year. I’m going to work as fast as I can and get through this process and eliminate the uncertainty that our players are feeling right now as quickly as possible.”
White begins the search during a challenging time on the baseball calendar, as most coaching changes happen from May to July after the College World Series. He was asked if it’s possible that Anderson could act as the interim head coach through the 2026 season.
White met with Elander on Oct. 22 and said he was not named the interim coach so that he can focus on his candidacy. Other potential candidates could include Kansas coach Dan Fitzgerald, Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski and Georgia coach Wes Johnson, according to The Tennessean.
“This is kind of unprecedented to have a coaching transition this time of year. So, I don’t know how this plays out,” White said. “We are going to conduct a national search and expect a ton of interest because of what Tony has built here, what we’ve all collectively built here.”
–Field Level Media
