Former Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello has moved on from the Vols’ baseball program, but he’s still got a rolodex full of unheard stories from his days on Rocky Top. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more and more of those stories start to trickle out over time as he spends his days with the San Francisco Giants.
One of Vitello’s recent stories that has surfaced on social media involves his former-turned-current ballplayer, Drew Gilbert. The VFL outfielder was electric during his time in Knoxville and went hand-in-hand with Vitello’s up-tempo energy, much to the enjoyment of Vol fans. Gilbert and Vitello now reunite in San Francisco after the Giants traded for him midseason last year.
While speaking with Outkick’s Davey Hudson last week, Vitello was asked about the craziest things that he ever saw Gilbert do while both were in Knoxville.
“Some of it can’t be talked about, even in a locker room as we stand here now,” Vitello said with a big laugh.
“I think one of the crazier things he would do is, Charlie Taylor was an important part of our team at Tennessee, and he was a catcher. So we don’t need that guy hurt. But they came up with this routine – well, Drew did – after batting practice every day in 2022, he would wrestle Charlie Taylor. And Charlie was strong, but Drew’s tough to deal with. So this was an all-out wrestling affair. It made me tense every day, but we kept winning. So, it was kind of, there’s one of your superstitions.”
What’s the craziest thing Tony Vitello has ever seen Drew Gilbert do? The @SFGiants Manager shares with @Outkick. pic.twitter.com/NMv8kjuCi0
Advertisement— Davey Hudson (@Davey_Hudson) February 15, 2026
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Gilbert’s high-energy, or should we say wrestler-type-energy, has carried over to Major League Baseball. The former Volunteer went viral on a number of occasions during the end of the 2025 season as he brought the juice for the Giants’ dugout as the team looked to make a push.
No words, just Drew Gilbert 😂 pic.twitter.com/zW7VxlBuLd
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 9, 2025
Gilbert was selected by the Houston Astros with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He sat in the minors for a while until being traded to the New York Mets in the summer of 2023. Gilbert was then moved to the Giants at the trade deadline this last summer, alongside VFL and right-handed pitcher Blade Tidwell.
Gilbert played in 39 games with the Giants during his rookie season with San Francisco. He recorded 100 appearances at the plate and hit .190 with 19 hits, seven walks, 20 strikeouts, three home runs and 13 RBIs. Throughout his two-month stretch in the bigs, Gilbert made some huge highlight plays in the outfield and recorded some nice games at the plate as he got his feet under him.
Tennessee Baseball began the Josh Elander era this weekend with a three-game sweep of Nicholls in the newly-renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols picked up their first win on Friday evening and then won both games in a Saturday doubleheader from Knoxville.
For more takeaways on Tennessee’s 3-0 start under head coach Josh Elander, click here.
