Tony Vitello elevates Richard Jackson to third full-time assistant position
Tennessee announced a coaching addition to Tony Vitello’s baseball staff on Thursday, promoting Richard Jackson to the recently added third full-time, paid assistant coaching slot by the NCAA.
The Division I council voted to approve the legislation last winter that transforms the former volunteer assistant role into the third-paid assistant. Jackson previously served in the volunteer assistant role since June of 2021 after first joining the staff as a student assistant pitching coach initially in the fall of 2019.
“Loyalty and family are two things that everyone in our group takes very seriously, not just with words but with actions.” Vitello said per a Tennessee release. “Richard was a great teammate and competitor as a player and continues to be both of those things regardless of his title.”
Assisting pitching coach Frank Anderson, Jackson helped Tennessee’s pitching staff to one of the nation’s best in 2023, finishing top-five nationally in ERA (2nd, 3.63), WHIP (2nd, 1.61) strikeout-to-walk-ratio (2nd, 4.03), shutouts (3rd – 9), total strikeouts (3rd – 738), strikeouts per nine innings (3rd – 11.7), hits allowed per nine innings (4th – 7.51) and walks allowed per nine innings (4th – 2.90).
The Vols went on to make their second trip in three years to Omaha for the College World Series. Tennessee won a game this go-around, snapping a six-game losing skid on the grand stage that lasted over 20 years.
Thanks in part to Jackson’s tutelage, Tennessee saw a program-record six pitchers selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, highlighted by Chase Dollander going ninth-overall to the Colorado Rockies.
Jackson pitched for the Vols from 2015-19 and went 1-0 in the final year with personal-bests of a 1.40 ERA over 21 appearances and 19.1 innings out of the bullpen with 21 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .119 clip in the box.
Tennessee will begin official fall practices on Thursday and are set to play a pair of neutral site exhibitions over the coming weeks. The Vols will square off with Virginia Tech in Greeneville at Tusculum University’s Pioneer Park (also home to the Greeneville Flyboys of the Appalachian League) on October 22. Tennessee will again travel on November 5 to take on Samford in Nashville at First Horizon Park – home of the Nashville Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tony Vitello will address the media later Thursday morning to open the fall session.
