KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's head baseball coach Tony Vitello led the Vols to 40 wins and the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005 this season. This accomplishment earned him a contract extension with salary increases.
As good as the money is for Vitello, he recognizes how this extension benefits the entire baseball program.
"It's incredibly crucial in a lot of different ways and the number one way is recruiting," Vitello said.
Coach Vitello knows that keeping your coaching staff intact also helps recruiting. This extension opens the door for his assistants to stick around.
"The whole thought process behind building this coaching staff was recruiting," Vitello said. "[the contract extension] ensures recruits that not only is part of our staff going to be here in the very near future, this whole group is on board to do what we all came here to do."
The goal that Vitello refers to is a simple one: make Tennessee a powerhouse baseball program.
That's easier said than done, especially with Tennessee being in the SEC. Four of Tennessee's conference rivals made this year's College World Series- Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
Vitello said he will not have a finalized roster for next season until mid-July. It is not certain that some of Tennessee's top players will return since six Vols were drafted by MLB teams this month. However, he is confident that his team will compete at a high level in 2020.
"You want that healthy turnover and when you have it, there's going to be young guys that are ready to step into roles and basically continue the theme of the program," Vitello said.