Van Horn hires Vitello as assistant

TCU hitting coach/recruiting coordinator will fill the spot left open by Todd Butler according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game.
TCU hitting coach/recruiting coordinator will fill the spot left open by Todd Butler according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game.

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas baseball Coach Dave Van Horn had kept a professional eye on Tony Vitello for several years, and he didn’t pass up a chance to hire the energetic assistant coach and well-regarded recruiter.

The Razorbacks announced the hiring of Vitello, 34, on Thursday as an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator. Vitello will take the position occupied by Todd Butler, who was hired as head coach at Wichita State on June 15.

Vitello comes to Arkansas with the reputation as a vibrant recruiter. A St. Louis native and University of Missouri graduate, he has spent the past three seasons on the TCU staff, bringing in decorated players for the Horned Frogs after a strong run of recruiting at Missouri.

“I’ve been very impressed with Tony over the years with the job he’s done recruiting and on the field as a coach,” Van Horn said in a university release. “He’s well-respected in the baseball community and is considered one of the top young coaches in the country. He has a proven track record of bringing in some of the top recruiting classes nationally. He’s very familiar with the region of the country where we focus our recruiting efforts.”

Vitello, who is still in Texas wrapping up business, could not be reached by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Thursday.

“I am elated to join the Arkansas baseball program,” Vitello said in a university release. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of a university that the entire state rallies around.

“It’s an even greater opportunity to learn from Coach Van Horn. I’ve been watching his teams with admiration dating all the way back to when I was a player in the Big 12 and he was at Nebraska.

“His teams are known for playing hard, which is a clear reflection of their head coach’s leadership and competitiveness.”

Vitello said he looked forward to building off the recruiting foundation begun by Butler, who was credited with securing much of the Razorbacks’ talent that led to an appearance in the 2012 College World Series and the nation’s top pitching staff last season.

Current Arkansas basketball assistant coach Matt Zimmerman was close friends with Vitello when both worked at Missouri.

“He’s really, really good,” Zimmerman said. “He’s relentless. … He’s always worked phones and just knows how to do it. He’s a year-around recruiter.”

Vitello’s recruiting class at TCU was ranked No. 11 in 2013, and the previous year’s class earned a top 10 ranking and produced Mountain West Conference pitcher of the year Preston Morrison, who was also named the conference’s freshman of the year.

Vitello earned three letters at Missouri and was an academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior before joining the Tigers staff as a volunteer assistant in 2003.

He was elevated to full time assistant coach the following season and spent seven more seasons in Columbia, Mo., before taking an assistant coach’s job at TCU.

During his tenure as pitching coach at Missouri, Vitello recruited and developed 19 pitchers who were drafted by major-league teams, including Max Scherzer, Doug Mathis, Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson.

Sports, Pages 19 on 06/28/2013

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