Tennessee baseball: Tony Vitello deserves a big payday from Phillip Fulmer

Tony Vitello and the Tennessee baseball exceeded expectations this season. If I’m Phillip Fulmer, I’m bringing out the checkbook and keeping Vitello on Rocky Top.

Everyone knew the Athletic Director position at the University of Tennessee was a doozy, but not even Phillip Fulmer could have thought it was going to be this difficult. Tony Vitello and the Tennessee baseball team just wrapped up one of the best seasons on the hill in nearly 15 years.

The team, filled with young talent, exceeded expectations by winning 40 games. That is the most wins in a season since the 2005 team won 46. And, just the fourth time since 2000 a team reached the 40 win mark.

Maybe even more impressive is how dominant the SEC was as a conference. Six teams (Auburn, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss) made it out of the first week of the NCAA Tournament and moving on to the Super Regional Round, tying the NCAA record for most teams by any conference.

Tennessee was right there. They weren’t the laughing stock of the league like in past seasons. They pulled a few upsets and played well enough to have a great season.

Give Tony Vitello a raise and keep that man on Rocky Top.

In the ten seasons before Vitello, the baseball Vols only eclipsed the 30-point win mark twice. Furthermore, the team never finished better than 5th in the SEC standings, and the league is stronger than ever now.

Again, the job Vitello has done in two years is nothing short than exceptional. Most wins since 2005. The Vols made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. Although it didn’t finish with wins against North Carolina, Tennessee still won two NCAA Tournament games and finished the highest in the SEC East since 2005.

Obviously, the players deserve a lot of credit for buying in and developing into solid SEC players. But, I would say, keeping Tony Vitello should be a high priority for Phillip Fulmer.

In 2017, Vitello signed a five-year contract with an average annual compensation of $493,000. Is the success thus far enough to double the annual compensation? Maybe so, but if Tennessee doesn’t pony up, some university will write the check.