Ricky Martinez returns to Tennessee baseball support staff
Former Tennessee infielder and staffer Ricky Martinez is making his way back to Rocky Top. The former student assistant is taking over the role of Director of Player Development for the upcoming season, sources tell Volquest.
Martinez spent just one season at Tennessee before being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 18th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. Following two seasons of professional baseball, Martinez returned to coach for Tony Vitello in 2021 as a student assistant.
While playing for the Orange & White, Martinez sported a .279 batting average with one home run and 28 runs batted in.
The former infielder left prior to the 2024 campaign to become the third full-time assistant at New Mexico State. There, he oversaw the infielders and served as recruiting coordinator after playing a key role with the Volunteers in 2023, a season that finished in the College World Series in Omaha.
Martinez also coached first base with the Volunteers and won 101 games over three seasons with him on staff. Then connection to New Mexico State came from head coach Jake Angier, who coached Martinez at Sacramento State before transferring to Grayson College and eventually Tennessee.
Volquest reported the hiring of Cincinnati pitching coach Josh Reynolds to Tony Vitello’s staff earlier this week. Reynolds will be joining the support staff for Tennessee baseball and his duties will be split, sources tell Volquest. He will help out part of the time with baseball operations, the role previously held by longtime staffer Chad Zurcher. He will also have a hand in assisting Frank Anderson behind the scenes with the Tennessee pitching staff now that former assistant coach Richard Jackson has moved on.
Ross Kivett, who was a part of Tony Vitello’s original staff at Tennessee, is also returning to the program to take on the third full-time assistant position that was previously held by Richard Jackson.
Vitello’s on the field staff will include Josh Elander, Frank Anderson and Kivett for the 2024 season while Martinez and Reynolds join the support staff.
