Tony Vitello, the former Tennessee baseball head coach, is now with the San Francisco Giants, making the jump from NCAA Division I to MLB, becoming the first to do so. The Giants are in Scottsdale right now for spring training, and Vitello met with the media today and was asked about his departure from Tennessee.
He wanted to set the record straight, saying his decision was not final until the official announcement, a stance that differed from what others had reported four days earlier. Vitello said, "That was not reality at all. I don't know if Buster (Posey) would feel the same way, but that wasn't the case. Somebody decides they think they've got the information, the final blow was about four days later. I'm just having a conversation, therapy, if you will, from walking out of there."
Tony Vitello began his Monday media availability by asking reporters when they heard he was taking the Giants job. He wanted to clear things up about his departure from Tennessee. #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/AanrH7hOIn
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) February 16, 2026
Vitello clearly is upset with how everything went down with his departure from Tennessee. He did a lot of great things in Knoxville, leading the Vols to three trips to Omaha and a national title, but the ending left some people feeling a bit sour towards the former head man.
Leaving Tennessee in good hands was always a priority for Vitello.
He said, "I needed confirmation from the coaches that I worked with, that helped boost my status, that they were OK with what was going to go on," Vitello said. "And that they were going to be OK with their jobs. That staff had always been built as next man up, and all of the sudden that was being threatened. It was kind of hard to do something for yourself and your teammates get left behind. But yeah, it was not four days, for what it's worth. That was not the case at all."
Josh Elander is off to a good start replacing Tony Vitello
Tennessee is off to a great start this season, going 3-0, beating Nichols in a three-game series at a newly renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium, allowing only three runs in the three games. Tennessee even moved up in the latest polls after their hot start.
The Vols will take on UNC Asheville on Tuesday afternoon at home and then will host Kent State for a three-game series this weekend.