Tony Vitello inherited a program that was in the college baseball basement when he arrived in Knoxville in the summer of 2017. The then 38-year old coach has taken the Vols’ program to unimagined heights, peaking with their first ever National Championship this summer.
But that National Championship wasn’t stand alone success. That’s why D1Baseball ranked Tennessee’s program as the second best in the entire country as part of its top 100 program ratings. SEC foe LSU claimed the top spot in the rankings.
“Tony Vitello has built a behemoth in Knoxville, in very short order,” D1Baseball’s Aaron Fitt wrote. “It’s almost unfathomable that the Volunteers have skyrocketed from outside our Top 100 Programs list in 2015 and 2017 all the way to No. 2 on the list by 2024.”
D1Baseball’s rankings were a blend of both objective and subjective rankings. They were analyzing the last 10 years and assigned point totals to regional appearances, regional wins, College World Series appearances and National Championships. Those points were magnified for the last five years and then slightly less important from six to 10 years out.
Then D1Baseball’s national crew made adjustments based on its evaluations of coaching staff quality and stability, facilities, scholarships/financial aid situation, conference dynamics, momentum, recruiting and player development proficiency.
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The entire top five is made up of SEC teams with Florida, Vanderbilt and Arkansas coming in directly behind Tennessee baseball. Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Texas were also SEC programs that landed in the top 10.
It’s only the pre-Vitello years that are keeping Tennessee from being the top program in the entire country. Over the last four years, Tennessee’s won four regionals, thrice made the College World Series, has won two SEC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships and has won the National Championship.
In the three years before Vitello arrived plus his first season as head coach, Tennessee not only failed to make the NCAA Tournament but also failed to make even the SEC Tournament.
There’s little reason to think Tennessee’s program is slowing down now. Tennessee made Vitello the highest paid coach in college baseball this summer with a contract that will pay him $3 million a year over the next five seasons. He’s retained a phenomenal coaching staff that includes pitching coach Frank Anderson and associate head coach Josh Elander.
The Vols are also undergoing a massive renovation project to Lindsey Nelson Stadium that will make their home ballpark one of the best in the entire sport. Vitello and his staff are also recruiting at an elite level both in high school and the transfer portal.
Tennessee baseball is rolling at a high level. There’s no reason to think it’s going to slow down now.
“Tennessee feels like an unstoppable rocket ship right now, and the future looks even brighter,” Fitt wrote.
