Ross Kivett was selected by the Tigers in the sixth round of the 2014 draft.
He played 19 games with the Whitecaps that same season and then played the entire 2015 season in West Michigan helping the club to the Midwest League championship.
"That was a lot like a college team," Kivett recalled. "They did a really good job of making sure that group stayed together throughout the whole year and it was and it was nice to play with the same guys throughout the whole 141 or 142 or whatever it is and it turned into a playoff run and all I remember was how close that group was."
Kivett was second on the 2015 team in games played and hits and third in home runs and runs batted in.
After the 2017 season, he decided it was time to start a career in coaching.
"I always wanted to coach," Kivett said. "When I got released, it wasn't injury, it was to create space which is fine. I got a call from coach (Sean) McCann here at Tennessee who recruited me at Kansas State and told me he was interested in interviewing me for a volunteer assistant and the last four years I've gotten to jump start my coaching career in the SEC so couldn't pass that up."
While Kivett isn’t exactly sure what’s next for him, he said he enjoys his on-field role and hopes he can continue in that capacity.
"The position I'm in is a steppingstone to another position, whether it be recruiting coordinator or head coach or pro ball, I think the doors are open for anything, I'm pretty open minded about it," Kivett said. "I'd like to stay in an on-field coaching role but that doesn't necessarily mean I wouldn't be open to something in the front office. I like evaluating players, I like the recruiting aspect of college, I like getting to know families and I like watching kids grow from the time that you recruit them to when they leave."
Currently, his Tennessee team is 32-9 and ranked sixth in the nation.
