Tony Vitello hires former Vols shortstop Ricky Martinez to role on Tennessee baseball coaching staff

Tony Vitello is bringing back another former staff member to join the Tennessee baseball coaching lineup.

Ricky Martinez, who played and coached at Tennessee under Vitello, is rejoining the Vols as a director of player personnel, a source with direct knowledge told Knox News. The source requested anonymity because the hiring has not been made official.

Martinez was the student assistant coach at Tennessee in the 2022 and 2023 season before he was hired at New Mexico State. He worked with the infielders and was the program’s recruiting coordinator at NMSU. He played shortstop at Tennessee in 2019 then joined the staff after playing in the minor-league system of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who picked him in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Martinez joins Luke Bonfield in director of player personnel roles at Tennessee.

Vitello’s three full-time assistants are Frank Anderson, Josh Elander and Ross Kivett. Kivett was hired to rejoin the staff after spending the past three seasons at Houston, where he rose to the title of associate head coach. Anderson and Elander have been the pitching coach and hitting coach, respectively, through all seven of Vitello’s seasons at Tennessee.

Vitello also is hiring former Cincinnati pitching coach Josh Reynolds in a hybrid role in which he will work with the pitchers and on the operations side of the program. Reynolds has been in college baseball for more than two decades and previously coached at Colorado, Northwestern and Kansas State.

Kivett replaced Richard Jackson, who left for a job outside baseball after working closely with the pitching staff and Anderson for the past three seasons. Jackson stepped into the volunteer assistant coach position after Kivett left after the 2021 CWS then was promoted to assistant coach prior to last season. Jackson pitched for the Vols from 2015-19.

Quentin Eberhardt is the strength and conditioning coach. He was hired by the Chicago Cubs in December 2021, but returned to UT in June 2022.

Ross Kivett is rejoining the Tennessee baseball staff as Tony Vitello is bringing back the former volunteer assistant as an assistant coach.

Kivett, who spent four years as the volunteer assistant coach on Vitello’s staff, served as an assistant coach at Houston the past three seasons. He earned the associate head coach title at Houston, where he was the Cougars’ hitting coach, infielders coach and recruiting coordinator.

Kivett’s return means every member of Vitello’s original staff is with the Vols.

Kivett, who was hired at Houston following the 2021 College World Series, was the first departure. Strength and conditioning coach Quentin Eberhardt was hired by the Chicago Cubs in December 2021, but returned to UT in June 2022.

Josh Elander has been the hitting coach and Frank Anderson has been the pitching coach during Vitello’s entire seven-year tenure, which has included three CWS appearances and the 2024 national championship − the first in program history.