Son of Baseball Hall of Famer Commits to Tony Vitello and Tennessee Baseball.
Landon Thome, the son of MLB Hall of Famer Jim Thome, announced his commitment to Tony Vitello and Tennessee baseball on Sunday, just weeks after an official visit to the program.
“I’m excited to commit to the University of Tennessee to advance my academic and baseball career,” Thome stated in his announcement. “I appreciate Coach Vitello, Coach Elander, Coach Kivett, Coach Bonfield, and the entire Vol baseball staff for this opportunity. Time to get to work. Go Vols!”
Thome, a member of the 2026 recruiting class and currently a junior in high school, is a 6-foot infielder from Illinois who throws right-handed and bats left-handed.
Jim Thome, a 2018 inductee into the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, had an impressive 22-year career, finishing with a .276 batting average, 612 home runs, and 1,699 RBIs. His standout season was in 2003, where he recorded a .266 average with 47 home runs and 131 RBIs.
Jim played 13 seasons with the Cleveland Indians and four with the Philadelphia Phillies, including his best year in 2003. He also spent time with the White Sox, Twins, Dodgers, and Orioles in the latter part of his career.
Under Vitello’s leadership, Tennessee baseball has excelled both on the field and in recruiting, winning the 2024 National Championship and securing SEC Regular-Season and Tournament titles in two of the last three years. The Vols have reached the College World Series in three of the past four seasons. Since arriving at Tennessee, Vitello and his staff have effectively leveraged their on-field success into top-tier recruiting, with the 2024 signing class ranked No. 1 nationally by Perfect Game.
