Tennessee baseball gets hit with crushing news on Wednesday night
The Vols are losing a crucial part of their coaching staff.
Tennessee baseball rose from an afterthought of the college baseball world to one of its premier programs under Tony Vitello. The program reached its first College World Series since 2005 in 2021 and made it in three of four seasons from 2021-2024 before finally winning it all last year.
Now, Vitello has moved on to the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants as their new manager, with Josh Elander stepping into his role. The vibes have seemed to be good since, with the recruiting class holding firm and the players being very excited. They also added then-interim Florida head coach Chuck Jeroloman to the staff.
However, the program took a tough hit on Wednesday night, one that won’t be easy to replace. Tennessee pitching coach Frank Anderson is expected to join Vitello with the Giants per multiple outlets.
Frank Anderson is joining Tony Vitello with the Giants
Anderson’s resume as a talent developer is extensive. Per Tennessee, in his career, he’s coached 103 pitchers that have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft, including 10 first round picks. Four of those have come during his time at Tennessee. Those include Liam Doyle (2025; St. Louis Cardinals – 5th overall); Chase Dollander (2023; Colorado Rockies – 9th overall), Garrett Crochet (2020; Chicago White Sox – 11th overall), and Marcus Phillips (2025; Boston Red Sox – 33rd overall).
It goes without saying that losing that level of knowledge and instruction is not immediately replaceable, and therefore, it’s certainly a blow to the program. A big one. Tennessee had already lost a key part of the staff in strength and conditioning coach Quenton Eberhardt, who went with Vitello to the Bay Area.
Tennessee is also acting quickly to address Anderson’s departure, elevating Josh Reynolds to take on his role, according to VolQuest. Reynolds came on board before the 2025 season as the Director of Pitching Performance. He has collegiate experience as a pitching coach, as he held the same role with the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2024.
However, even if he has a quick and immediate impact, it’s hard to replace a legacy of success that Anderson has had, both in Knoxville and elsewhere.
