Who is Tony Vitello? Meet new San Francisco Giants manager from Tennessee

Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello. Tennessee Volunteers baseball scrimmage at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Oct. 21, 2025

Tony Vitello is making a bold move to the big leagues.

The former Tennessee baseball coach is going to be the next manager for the San Francisco Giants, starting in the 2026 MLB season, as confirmed by the Knoxville News Sentinel — part of the USA TODAY Network — on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Vitello will be tasked with replacing former manager Bob Melvin, who was fired on Sept. 29 following two seasons on the job. The Giants finished third in the NL West in 2025 with an 81-81 record. Melvin went 161-163 in two years in San Francisco.

With Vitello's move to MLB, he'll become the first college coach to make a jump straight to becoming an MLB manager without prior professional experience. Here's what you need to know about Vitello:

Who is Tony Vitello?

Vitello is the newest manager for the Giants, the 40th in franchise history.

With the move to MLB, Vitello is the first college manager to be hired directly to an MLB manager position. He has a strong track record as a college coach, leading the Volunteers to a 341-131 record since taking over as coach for the 2018 college baseball season. He led Tennessee to a pair of SEC tournament championships, three College World Series appearances and the 2024 national championship.

Before Vitello took over the Tennessee program, it had not reached the postseason since 2004. In his eight years, he turned the Volunteers into a college baseball powerhouse.

Vitello played college baseball at Missouri from 2000 to 2002, where he was a three-year letter-winner. Following his playing career, he started his coaching career as an associate head coach for the Salinas Packers in the California Collegiate League in 2002.

Tony Vitello age

Vitello was born on Oct. 9, 1978, which means he will enter his first season as an MLB manager at 47. He was born in St. Louis. He graduated from Missouri in 2002.

Tony Vitello coaching history, record

Vitello's first coaching gig as a Power Four coach was at his alma mater, where he coached Missouri as an assistant from 2003-10. He then joined Jim Schlossnagle ― who is now at Texas staff ― at TCU, ahead of the 2011 college baseball season. Vitello spent three seasons with the Horned Frogs as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He made the jump to another SEC school in Arkansas under Dave Van Horn in 2014.

After four seasons as the Razorbacks' hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, he was hired as Tennessee's baseball coach on June 7, 2017.

Vitello led the Vols to the College World S in 2021, 2023 and 2024, with Tennessee winning the national championship in 2024 following a 60-win season.

Here's a year-by-year breakdown of how Tennessee has fared under Vitello: