VFL Todd Helton Involved In Tennessee Baseball Coaching Search
Image: Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
Vol baseball is turning to one of its most prolific alumni as it begins the search for a new head coach.
MLB Hall of Famer Todd Helton is part of a five-person search committee charged with finding the next leader of the Vols program, per Knox News Sentinel’s Mike Wilson.
The move comes after longtime head coach Tony Vitello left Tennessee to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Helton, who played three seasons on Rocky Top before being selected eighth overall in the 1995 MLB Draft, spent 17 years with the Colorado Rockies, hitting 369 home runs and earning five All-Star selections.
His No. 17 jersey was retired by the Rockies in 2014, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.
The early hot board includes several notable names, with Tennessee associate head coach Josh Elander leading the pack.
Elander has strong support from the fanbase, but other candidates remain in play:
Oregon’s Mark Wasikowski, ECU’s Cliff Godwin, Coastal Carolina’s Kevin Schnall, Kansas’ Dan Fitzgerald, and Murray State’s Dan Skirka.
As Tennessee looks to build on Vitello’s success, the search committee’s decision will shape the Vols’ trajectory for years to come.
