By Jack Glennon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Hiring from the inside was always the right move for Tennessee baseball.
On Monday, Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White officially introduced Josh Elander as the 26th head coach in Tennessee Baseball history.
The official announcement came just five days after former Head Coach Tony Vitello departed for the West Coast, becoming the 40th manager in San Francisco Giants history on Wednesday.
White thanked Vitello for his time with the Volunteers.
“We have the dominant program in college baseball,” White said. “When he came here eight years ago… that was not the case.”
White also relayed that throughout meetings with the players, it became clear that the team felt strongly about making Elander their new leader.
Elander, who has served as the Volunteers’ associate head coach since 2022, helped the Volunteers lead the NCAA in home runs hit over the past four seasons, with 695.
After Vitello made history by becoming the first sitting NCAA head coach to become an MLB manager, there was little doubt that Elander would be among the top of the list of candidates for Tennessee.
After the success Tennessee has experienced across the past four seasons, including 207 wins and a national championship, hiring a candidate from outside the program would have been incredibly puzzling.
In fact, hiring anyone other than Elander would have been a grave mistake for Tennessee.
In addition to being the hitting coach for Tennessee throughout an era in which they have led the NCAA in runs scored in two of the past four seasons and produced some of the MLB’s top young talent (i.e., Drew Gilbert, Jordan Beck), Elander has also served as the team’s recruiting coordinator.
Though Vitello’s departure may force some of Tennessee’s top recruits to rethink their commitment, hiring the legendary coach’s recruiting guru will undoubtedly minimize the long-term impact his move west will have on the program.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” Elander said when addressing incoming recruits. “We have one of the best staffs in college baseball. I can’t wait to go to battle with you.”
He also characterized Knoxville as unlike any other college environment in the country.
“[Knoxville has] anything you could ever want, within 30 minutes,” Elander explained. “[You would] have a great time living in Knoxville, Tennessee.”
Though the direction Elander will lead a Tennessee that has dominated college baseball over the past four seasons remains to be seen, Volunteer fans can reasonably expect more of the same on Rocky Top for the 2026 campaign.