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ATLANTA – Drew Gilbert is again playing center field for a team managed by Tony Vitello. The stage is just a bit bigger than it used to be.
Gilbert starred for Tennessee from 2021-22 on some of Vitello’s best teams during his storied tenure as the Vols’ coach, and four years later Vitello is still writing Gilbert’s name on his lineup card in the major leagues.
Gilbert was reunited with his college coach this offseason when Vitello left Tennessee to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Both are working through their first full seasons in the major leagues for San Francisco, and they are the closest they’ll get to Knoxville this season for this week’s three-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
“It’s been cool,” Gilbert told Knox News on June 16. “I think both of us would say we wish the season would have gone different to this point, but that’s life, you know, and it’s just part of it. So, you know, things can turn around really quick and it’s obviously someone that I’ve had a lot of experience with, someone I have a ton of belief in and I couldn’t be more grateful to have him as our skipper.”
Gilbert was a fan favorite at Tennessee as its center fielder from 2021-22. The highlight of his college career was a walk-off grand slam against Wright State in the 2021 Knoxville Regional that continues to stand as a marquee moment in the history of Lindsey Nelson Stadium. That postseason saw the Vols advance to their first College World Series in 16 years. The next season, Gilbert was an all-American.
Gilbert didn’t always know he was going to play for Vitello at Tennessee. He was originally committed to Oregon State and had the chance to go pro right out of high school after a standout career in Stillwater, Minnesota, just west of St. Paul. He was selected in the 35th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins but did not sign, planning to play for the Beavers, but then a coaching change forced him to look elsewhere. That summer, he landed with the Vols.
After college, he was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He was traded to the New York Mets in 2023 and the Giants in July 2025 before making his MLB debut in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2025.
“For me, going to college was the right call,” Gilbert said. “I don’t want to say you luck into picking the school you did, but for everything I thought it was going to be to actually have it be true was incredible.”
Gilbert said that he usually makes it back to Knoxville once or twice during the offseason, often for a football game. He still stays connected with his former Tennessee teammates and coaches and feels the program is in “great hands with Coach (Josh) Elander."
Gilbert credits much of the success he’s had to Vitello, saying that the decision to play for him in college was one of the best he’s made. Thirteen players that played for Tennessee under Vitello have made it to the major leagues, which he feels is a testament to their experiences at in college.
“There’s nobody that worked harder and cared more about the city of Knoxville and Tennessee baseball than him. We were just a byproduct as players,” Gilbert said. “Don’t get me wrong, we worked really hard, but without him I don’t know what Tennessee baseball would be.”
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Drew Gilbert, Tony Vitello bring Tennessee baseball connection to MLB, Giants
Continue reading...
Gilbert starred for Tennessee from 2021-22 on some of Vitello’s best teams during his storied tenure as the Vols’ coach, and four years later Vitello is still writing Gilbert’s name on his lineup card in the major leagues.
Gilbert was reunited with his college coach this offseason when Vitello left Tennessee to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Both are working through their first full seasons in the major leagues for San Francisco, and they are the closest they’ll get to Knoxville this season for this week’s three-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
“It’s been cool,” Gilbert told Knox News on June 16. “I think both of us would say we wish the season would have gone different to this point, but that’s life, you know, and it’s just part of it. So, you know, things can turn around really quick and it’s obviously someone that I’ve had a lot of experience with, someone I have a ton of belief in and I couldn’t be more grateful to have him as our skipper.”
Gilbert was a fan favorite at Tennessee as its center fielder from 2021-22. The highlight of his college career was a walk-off grand slam against Wright State in the 2021 Knoxville Regional that continues to stand as a marquee moment in the history of Lindsey Nelson Stadium. That postseason saw the Vols advance to their first College World Series in 16 years. The next season, Gilbert was an all-American.
Gilbert didn’t always know he was going to play for Vitello at Tennessee. He was originally committed to Oregon State and had the chance to go pro right out of high school after a standout career in Stillwater, Minnesota, just west of St. Paul. He was selected in the 35th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins but did not sign, planning to play for the Beavers, but then a coaching change forced him to look elsewhere. That summer, he landed with the Vols.
After college, he was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He was traded to the New York Mets in 2023 and the Giants in July 2025 before making his MLB debut in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2025.
“For me, going to college was the right call,” Gilbert said. “I don’t want to say you luck into picking the school you did, but for everything I thought it was going to be to actually have it be true was incredible.”
Gilbert said that he usually makes it back to Knoxville once or twice during the offseason, often for a football game. He still stays connected with his former Tennessee teammates and coaches and feels the program is in “great hands with Coach (Josh) Elander."
Gilbert credits much of the success he’s had to Vitello, saying that the decision to play for him in college was one of the best he’s made. Thirteen players that played for Tennessee under Vitello have made it to the major leagues, which he feels is a testament to their experiences at in college.
“There’s nobody that worked harder and cared more about the city of Knoxville and Tennessee baseball than him. We were just a byproduct as players,” Gilbert said. “Don’t get me wrong, we worked really hard, but without him I don’t know what Tennessee baseball would be.”
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Drew Gilbert, Tony Vitello bring Tennessee baseball connection to MLB, Giants
Continue reading...
