Tennessee sealed its first baseball national championship Monday night in Omaha with a thrilling 6-5 victory over Texas A&M in the winner-take-all third game of the College World Series finale, and Tony Vitello is set to earn a six-figure bonus for guiding the Vols to the top. The seventh-year head coach was crowd-surfing in the stands at Charles Schwab Field Omaha minutes later Aaron Combs sealed the title with a strikeout, his legendary status among Tennessee fans further cemented by delivering the University’s first national title in 15 years. Although he cared more about the trophy and the experiences he and his players had during this remarkable run, Vitello also received a $140,000 bonus check for winning the championship.
According to his contract, Vitello earns 40% of his $385,000 base salary for the national championship. His total compensation is $1.5 million per year, but the incentive structure dictates that his bonuses are based on base salary. Tennessee also won the SEC regular season and tournament titles this season and Vitello can earn bonuses for reaching the College World Series and advancing to the finals, but he is only eligible for the highest overall achievement.
The national championship is obviously the highest.
Vitello has been a revelation for Tennessee baseball since being hired in June 2017 by former athletic director John Currie. The former assistant coach of Missouri, TCU And Arkansas transformed the Vols into a national power in the always loaded and rugged SEC after inheriting one of the worst programs in the league. His success led Tennessee to back him with millions of dollars in the form of renovations to Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and three years ago he was rewarded with a contract extension and raise that increased his salary by $600. $1,000 to $1.5 million.
A new contract could soon increase the 45-year-old’s salary again.
Tennessee was 29-27 in Vitello’s first season in 2018, and he led the Vols back to the NCAA tournament in his second season. His third team was off to a 15-2 start when the season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Tennessee has appeared in the College World Series in three of the four seasons since. The one season the Vols didn’t go to Omaha, they spent most of the season as the No. 1 team and swept the SEC regular season and conference titles.
In 2021, the Vols reached their first College World Series for the first time since 2005, and Vitello’s team bounced back from the disappointing Super Regional loss to the No. 1 seed in 2022 by hitting the road to win a Regional at Clemson and a Super Regional at Southern Mississippi to get to Omaha. Tennessee shared the SEC regular season title this season with Kentucky and rebounded from a first-round loss to win the tournament title, eliminating the reigning national champion LSU in the final at Hoover last month. Tennessee swept its regional and defeated Evansville in three Super Regional matches to return to Omaha.
The Vols cruised through their group in Omaha with two wins against State of Florida – the first after a wild comeback in the ninth inning after a three-point deficit – and a block North Carolina to reach the best-of-three final series against its SEC rival Texas A&M.
The Aggies struck first with a win on Saturday, but the Vols responded even in the series on Sunday and forced Monday’s game.
Tennessee extended a three-run lead to 6-1 with a three-run seventh inning thanks to a two-run game Dylan Dreiling home run and an epic Hunter Ensley slide to tackle the sixth pass. Texas A&M chipped away at the lead, but Tennessee’s bullpen closed out the game. Veteran Kirby Connell got two strikeouts in the eighth inning and Combs recorded all three strikeouts in the ninth to spark wild celebrations on the field.
The Vols became the first No. 1 seed to win the national title since Miami in 1999 and sealed a 60-13 season with the hardware. Tennessee had not won a national championship since a women’s indoor track and field title since 2009. The last men’s national title was in indoor track and field in 2002.
Vitello is 294-112 as Tennessee’s head coach.
News Source : 247sports.com
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