Tennessee’s Tony Vitello to make an appearance at 2024 MLB draft coverage: Reports
Tennessee Baseball head coach Tony Vitello's off-season just got a little busier. According to reports, Vitello will be part of MLB Network's coverage of the 2024 draft, which looks set to be one of the most exciting drafts in recent history.
The three-day event will commence on Sunday, July 14, with 30 teams set to recruit some of the best talents in college baseball across 20 rounds. Vitello will reportedly serve as an analyst on Day 1 of the draft, with coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. The event itself will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET.
This will be Vitello's second appearance as part of MLB Network's draft coverage, having previously appeared during the 2022 MLB draft. Along with him, Dan O'Dowd, Harold Reynolds, Xavier Scruggs, Lance Brozdowski, Jim Callis and Carlos Collazo will also serve as analysts as part of the coverage.
7 players from Tony Vitello-led Tennessee Volunteers in contention in 2024 MLB draft
In his seventh season as the Vols' head coach, Vitello led them to arguably their most successful season in program history. They won the SEC regular season title and the SEC Tournament, earning the top national seed for the postseason for just the second time in program history.
They were unstoppable in the Knoxville Regional and Knoxville Super Regional, losing just once across both tournaments to make the College World Series in Omaha. The Volunteers experienced the most glorious moment of their season at Charles Schwab Field, winning the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
The Volunteers also became the first team in SEC history to win 60 games in a single season. Several players shined under Vitello, with seven of them in contention to be picked in this year's draft.
Star hitters Christian Moore and Billy Amick lead the list, with both of them likely to go in the first round of the draft. Moore, who won the SEC Triple Crown this year, could beat last season's No. 9 overall draft pick, Chase Dollander to become the highest Vols pick in the Tony Vitello era.
While the Volunteers are set to witness one of their most successful MLB drafts ever, Vitello faces a major challenge in repeating their incredible success next year. Whether he can achieve it, only time will tell.