Tennessee baseball players will have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal in the wake of Tony Vitello accepting the San Francisco Giants’ manager job.
The 30-day window is the same as any other spot, but since the school year has already started, players would have to sit out this upcoming season if they elect to enter the portal. Graduate transfers would be eligible to play this season, however.
Left-handed pitcher Mark Hindy is the only graduate senior on Tennessee’s roster. Hindy transferred from Duke this past offseason after one season with the Blue Devils. He played his first three years of college baseball at William & Mary.
Vitello’s departure comes in the middle of Tennessee’s fall practice. The Vols were scheduled to travel to Nashville to play an intrasquad scrimmage at First Horizon Park. It is unclear at this time if it will still take place.
News broke Wednesday that Vitello had accepted the Giants’ vacant managerial position. Vitello emerged as a serious candidate for the San Francisco job over the last month after Giants general manager Buster Posey consulted the 47-year-old on multiple occasions within the past year before acquiring former Tennessee baseball players. San Francisco traded for former Vols Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell at the trade deadline in July. The organization also drafted former Vols middle infielder Gavin Kilen a few weeks prior in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Vitello went 341–131 in eight seasons on Rocky Top as he turned Tennessee baseball into a national power. He led the program to its first ever National Championship in 2024, as well as six NCAA regional appearances (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), five NCAA super regionals (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and a trio of Men’s College World Series appearances (2021, 2023, 2024). Tennessee also won two SEC regular-season championships and the SEC Tournament twice.
The 47-year-old takes over for Bob Melvin, who the Giants fired Sept. 29 after finishing 81-81 this past season. San Francisco hasn’t made the playoffs or had a winning season since it won the National League West in 2021.