TheSan Francisco Giantsare set to make their season debut in a home opening series against the New York Yankees beginning Wednesday, March 25.
It's also thedebut for Giants manager Tony Vitello, who's getting his first crack at the major leagues after a successful collegiate baseball coaching career for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Vitellosigned a three-year contract with the Giantson Oct. 22, which is reportedly going to pay him $3.5 million annually, according to The SF Standard.
He's the first collegiate coach to make the jump straight to the majors as a manager. It's an honor he doesn't take lightly, especially as he lives out a dream to be a MLB manager.
"As a coach, I was just trying to make my way," Vitello said during an October news conference. "I got thrust into a position at a young age that I probably didn't even deserve, so I was just trying to do a good job, and fortunately it helped get me to the next spot and the next spot and the next spot, and eventually this did become a dream, where I just decided if it was, if I was blessed enough to receive an opportunity, this is something I wanted to do before I was done coaching, in general."
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He added: "It is a dream come true, but it's a very recent dream. It wasn't one I had for a while and, as much as I'd like to sit up here and promise things and pound my fist on the desk, really all I want to do is a good job."
That's all that San Francisco fans want too. His track record says he will. Everyone in orange and black is hoping that success will translate. Here's a look at his résumé:
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Did Vitello win a national championship at Tennessee?
Vitello had a successful seven-year stint at Tennessee that spanned from 2018 to 2025.
In that span, he coached the Vols to two SEC regular-season titles, two SEC Tournament titles and a 2024 national title, being crowned 2024 NCAA Tournament champions. He's appeared in three College World Series, in 2021, 2023 and winning 2024.
Tony Vitello record at Tennessee
Vitello was a bona fide winner at Tennessee. He became the fastest coach in UT baseball history to reach the 300-win mark.
He left the university with an overall record of 341-131 (.722).
MLB players who played for Tony Vitello
Vitello has coached several of players atTennessee that went on to play MLB, including Christian Moore, Garrett Crochet, Chase Silseth, Ben Joyce, Andre Lipcius, Trey Lipscomb, Jordan Beck, Seth Halvorsen, Chase Dollander and current Giants pitcher Blade Tidwell.
Did Drew Gilbert play for Tony Vitello
Also included in that list is Drew Gilbert, who currently plays outfield for the Giants. He played Vitello at Tennessee from 2020 to 2022.
Did Tony Vitello play in MLB
Vitello has no MLB playing experience. However, he hopes that isn't a problem when coaching in the pros.
"Dues have come in a different way," Vitello said in reference to the fact that he never played in the majors. "Hopefully respect will be earned in different ways, and the only way I know how to do that is through hard work."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tony Vitello set for MLB debut as manager in Giants vs Yankees