Rod Delmonico, who spent 18 years as the head coach at Tennessee before serving as a volunteer assistant at Florida State last year, has accepted an assistant coaching position at Florida International, the Golden Panthers announced yesterday. FIU coach Turtle Thomas said Delmonico will be heavily involved with the recruiting and will oversee the infielders, bunting and baserunning, as well as assist Thomas with the hitters.

“When you hire staff members you wonder whether you’ve hit a single, double, triple or home run. We hit a grand slam with the hiring of Rod Delmonico,” Thomas said in a release. “He brings so much to the table from a recruiting standpoint. He has been a head coach in the SEC and is a great all-around coach, especially in the areas of baserunning, the short bunting game and infield play. He just has a great general overview of the game of baseball.”

Delmonico had been rumored to be in the mix for the head jobs at Florida Atlantic and Central Florida, and FIU must be thrilled to get him as an assistant.

Florida State, meanwhile, replaced Delmonico as volunteer assistant with Charles Assey, who spent last year as an assistant at Presbyterian.