Coaches Roundtable: Tony Vitello University of Arkasnas

December 14, 2015

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

All college programs have different ways to evaluate talent and come to their final decision on who to recruit and when they recruit them. I have sat down with Coach Tony Vitello from the University of Arkansas to discuss how his program works through the recruiting process.

PBR: At what grade do you start evaluating players for recruiting purposes?

Coach Vitello: Freshman year is really the start for us. By definition, a prospect is in high school.

If you could put everything in a neat box I'd say it would look something like this:

Becoming aware of/learning about/first evaluating blue chip recruits: Freshman and Sophomore year

Actively recruiting: Sophomore and Junior Year

Offering/Committing: Junior and Senior Year

Again, this is just my view and is definitely much more of a baseline. There is no question that some of these things happen earlier or later than suggested.

PBR: What are some of the biggest factors for you to recruit a student-athlete?

Coach Vitello: Athleticism and Academics. This is sport that requires both. Without question every team in the country wants as many good athletes as they can possible accumulate on one roster. However, a major part of our sport is academic financial aid so the grades portion of a resume can be almost as valuable as a skill set in baseball. In addition, its extremely critical that you have kids that have some aptitude and are able to learn. Baseball is filled with countless intricacies and having the ability to evolve is a requirement.

PBR: What are some of the reasons you would not recruit a student athlete?

Coach Vitello: Nearly 100% of the time it is off the field or character issues. Someone who does not have the support of his coaches and teammates is someone that you can most likely do without.

Again, going back to grades if someone is a borderline student and may not even qualify for NCAA competition there are probably more attractive options out there. As a matter of fact there is a new rule that is fairly scary. First year players need to have a 2.3 GPA in order to be eligible for competition. This is a new rule that I'm not certain everyone is aware of.

PBR: What is the one skill a position player must have for you to recruit them and why?

Coach Vitello: To be able to play catch. Its remedial but ignored by so many. A better way of saying it is that its taken for granted. If you cannot throw well enough to be on the field consistently then you are not a position player you are a designated hitter. I wish kids were instructed a bit more on how to properly throw along with the right way to play catch. More times than not when you watch pregame the throwing that goes on is a great example of poor practice making forming poor habits. Sometimes mastering the simple is more genius than focusing on the complicated.

PBR: What do you value more from a pitcher, pitch-ability or power and why?

Coach Vitello: I think a good analogy is the sliding scale for NCAA eligibility requirements, which is something every high school family should have a copy of. The higher the GPA the lower your test score can be. The more power stuff the less pitch-ability you can get a way with. Obviously there is a cut off though. You cannot get away with throwing 90 but walking a hitter or more every inning. Also, the desire is for that perfect combination but those guys usually either get snatched up in the draft or are able to make an immediate impact at a Division One school.

PBR: What advice do you have for student athletes that have a desire to play college baseball?

Coach Vitello: Focus on what you can control and be determined as all hell to accomplish your goals.

I'm convinced that anyone who has the discipline to do those things has a place in college baseball. It may not be at a school that has the best football team or the most sold T shirts at the mall, but that's not what kids need. They need the place that is the best possible match for who they are as a person, student, and player.