Some people will immediately scoff and Neyland/Pat’s contributions to their particular sport trumps Vitello’s of course, but in terms of actual coaching, he’s up there.
As a casual (I watch SEC games and the tourney games, not gonna pretend I’m a diehard by any stretch) this program was dead. As someone who lived in Knoxville for 20+ years, no one gave a damn about the baseball team. I remember going to a Tennessee basketball game in 2011 and you got a free ticket to watch the baseball game with it right after the basketball game and there wasn’t 300 people. And that was 2011.
This was probably the worst program in the SEC. No support, no fanfare, no hope. And Vitello by year 5 has the best team in the country and about as incredible a 4 year run you can have in college baseball. The player development, the recruiting, the ability to get the most out of his players. The total package.
And it’s not just because they win. I know the nation thinks he’s a jackass but Tony was the exact dude they needed. He built this program from ground zero. No talent, no enthusiasm. This forum used to get 20 posts for an SEC series and we had 15K posts over the three games. A truly incredible feat. What he has done in seven years is borderline miraculous.
Best baseball coach in the country. A true Tennessee legend. Give him a lifetime contract. Thank you Tony Vitello. What a team. What a ride. Go Damn Vols.
