Tennessee sealed its first national championship in baseball on Monday night in Omaha with a thrilling 6-5 win against Texas A&M in the winner-take-all third game of the College World Series finals, and Tony Vitello is set to take home a six-figure bonus for guiding the Vols to the pinnacle. The seventh-year head coach was crowd surfing in the stands at Charles Schwab Field Omaha minutes after Aaron Combs sealed the title with a strikeout, his legendary status among Tennessee fans even further secured by delivering the University’s first national title in 15 years. Though he’ll care more about the trophy and the experiences he and his players enjoyed on this remarkable run, Vitello also earned a $140,000 bonus check for the championship win.
Was Per his contract, Vitello earns 40% of his $385,000 base salary for the national championship. His full compensation is $1.5 million annually, but the incentive structure stipulates his bonuses are based on the base salary. Tennessee also swept the SEC regular-season and tournament titles this season and Vitello can earn bonuses for reaching the College World Series and advancing to the finals, but he is eligible only for the highest overall achievement.
