But he’s staying home.
Just one day after losing the College World Series to the Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M lost their head coach to a bitter rival. Jim Schlossnagle bolted for the Texas job, leaving the Aggies high and dry just hours after coming up short in the National Championship series.
Texas A&M ended up turning to former hitting coach Michael Earley to fill the job.
Texas A&M expected to turn to former hitting coach Michael Earley to try and keep on CWS course: https://t.co/yLZAToJoMh
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) June 30, 2024
However, that hire apparently came after the Aggies made a “furious” run at Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello. According to Kendall Rogers, Texas A&M was ready to open up the checkbook for Vitello. They reportedly “shot their shot,” but Vitello opted to stay in Knoxville with the Volunteers.
Some scoop on the @AggieBaseball search:
* A&M made a very furious run ($$) for Tony Vitello. It shot its shot, but TV stayed put and loyal to a program that has given him the keys to the castle.
* A&M also went after UVA’s Brian O’Connor, but very dififcult to get him out of…
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 30, 2024
Vitello has an all-time record of 295–112 at Tennessee. He came to Knoxville back in 2018 after making stops at Missouri, TCU and Arkansas as an assistant.
Vitello quickly built Tennessee into a national power, making the NCAA Tournament in just his second season. The Volunteers made it to Omaha for the first time under Vitello back in 2021. They’ve now been three out of the last four years, obviously capping it off by finally getting over the hump for a National Championship this season.
The 45-year-old signed an extension back in 2021. Following a title run this season, along with some reported interest elsewhere, you can bet a new contract is either in the works or perhaps even already done.