Photo via UCF Athletics

Danny White launched a nation-wide search this week to find Tennessee baseball’s next head coach following Tony Vitello’s departure to become the San Fransisco Giants manager. It’s odd timing to make a coaching hire with fall practices across the country ongoing or wrapping up which forces White to have all the more urgency while making this move.

White has a reputation as a strong hirer. His moves at Buffalo, tabbing Lance Leipold to run the football program and Nate Oats to run the basketball program were particularly impressive. Scott Frost was a grand slam hire at UCF. While Josh Heupel was a tad underwhelming at UCF, he’s been stellar at Tennessee and has rejuvenated the Volunteer program.

But what does White’s history hiring a baseball coach look like? Well, there’s very little of it. White has hired just one baseball coach as an athletic director. And even at stops as assistant, associate or senior associate athletic director at Northern Illinois, Fresno State and Ole Miss, White was not a part of a baseball coaching hire.

White made his lone baseball coaching hire at UCF back in 2016, when he hired then-Wright State head coach Greg Lovelady to lead the Knights program. How did Lovelady fare?

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In his seven seasons as head coach, UCF posted a 225-149 (83-68 AAC) record. The Knights made the NCAA Tournament in Lovelady’s first season as head coach but failed to return to the tournament in his next six seasons. UCF was never terrible during Lovelady’s tenure but was mostly average following the 2017 season.

The Knights finished fifth in the AAC in 2018 and sixth in 2019. COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 season before UCF finished fifth in 2021, second in 2022 and then fourth in 2023 before UCF dismissed him from his role atop the program.

To give some reference on the quality of the UCF job, the Knights had made the NCAA Tournament 11 total times before Lovelady arrived with the most recent tournament appearance coming in 2012. The Knights have made the NCAA Tournament once in the two seasons since firing Lovelady.

There will certainly be more eyes on this hire for White as Tennessee must replace a national championship winning head coach.