Tennessee pitching coach Frank Anderson turned down an offer to be the Texas pitching coach, Horns247 first reported Tuesday and a trusted source confirmed to RTI Wednesday.
Anderson left his position as Houston’s pitching coach in 2017 to join first time head coach Tony Vitello at Tennessee.
The Nebraska native has an abundance of ties to the ‘Lone Star State’ and the Big 12, spending nine years as Oklahoma State’s head coach as well as stints as the pitching coach at Texas Tech and Texas.
Longhorns’ head coach David Pierce is shaking up his coaching staff this offseason, parting ways with longtime assistant and pitching coach Sean Allen.
Anderson’s ties to the state of Texas and reputation as one of the top pitching coaches in the country made him an obvious candidate for Pierce. The 63-year old turned down a pay raise at Texas to stay in Knoxville, according to a source.
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Anderson has been integral in the turnaround of the Tennessee baseball program under Vitello.
The Vols finished in the top 20 nationally in team earned run average in each of the last four years including the nation’s 10th best ERA in 2021 and the nation’s top ERA in 2022.
While Anderson earned strong results without top end talent Vitello’s first few years in Knoxville, the talent level exploded in recent years.
Georgia Southern transfer Chase Dollander was a unanimous All-American while freshmen Chase Burns and Drew Beam earned All-SEC honors. The USA Collegiate Baseball team invited all three members of the Vols’ weekend rotation to join the team this summer.
The trio will return to Tennessee next season as the Vols look to replace crucial arms Blade Tidwell, Redmond Walsh and Ben Joyce.
The pitching coach is known for his fiery passion, earning ejections in a pair of games this season. Anderson’s ejection in the Knoxville Super Regional sidelined him for the final two games of the season and the 2023 season opener.
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Thanks, Frank
Thanks, Frank!