Photo via Tennessee Athletics/Vol Photos

Tony Vitello is at Lindsey Nelson Stadium Monday afternoon as Tennessee baseball’s fall practice rolls on as does the San Fransisco Giants’ manager search. Vitello is going about his business as usual and is present for the start of Monday’s practice that will end with an intrasquad scrimmage.

But Monday’s scrimmage comes as questions remain about his future with the Tennessee baseball program. Numerous MLB insiders, including The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, reported Saturday that the San Fransisco Giants were closing in on hiring Vitello as the club’s new manager.

According to reporting from KnoxNews Mike Wilson, Vitello told his team following Saturday’s scrimmage that he had not accepted the Giants job and that they would hear it from him first if he decided to leave Tennessee for professional baseball.

In the 48 hours since, it has been a waiting game. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Saturday that a decision on whether Vitello and the Giants would partner would come within the next 48-72 hours.

Since then, Vitello has continued his business at Tennessee like its business as normal. He ran Tennessee’s Sunday practice and is now at Monday afternoon’s scrimmage.

More From RTI: VFL Chris Burke Talks Tony Vitello, Tennessee-Alabama Recap, Florida Fires Billy Napier | The RTI Low-Down

It would be a nearly unprecedented move for San Fransisco to hire Vitello. The Los Angeles Angels hired Arizona State’s Bobby Wilkes as a bench coach for one year before hiring him as the full time manager the following season back in 1973. No MLB team has ever hired a sitting college coach with no professional baseball experience which is the case with Vitello.

Vitello has completely rejuvenated a Tennessee program that had wandered in the wilderness for the 13 years prior to his arrival. During Vitello’s eight years as head coach, Tennessee has won two SEC Regular-Season and SEC Tournament championships, made the super regionals five times, made the College World Series three times and won the 2024 National Championship— the first in program history. The Vols are 341-131 since Vitello took over as head coach.

Tennessee has made it to the super regionals each of the last five years. No other program has made it to the super regionals more than three times in that stretch. LSU has won two of the last three national championships and is the only college program that’s been as good as Tennessee in recent years.

The waiting game continues for now, but Vitello remains in Knoxville performing his duties as Tennessee’s head coach.