The appointment of longtime Tennessee hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Josh Elander as the next head coach of the Volunteers following Tony Vitello’s decision to manage Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants was the smoothest transition athletic director Danny White could have made.
It was still a transition.
Vitello’s meteoric rise in Knoxville was reflected by the 2024 national championship and a current streak of five consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament’s super regional round, but when the Vols came to Chattanooga’s AT&T Field for a scrimmage on Oct. 4, he had been mentioned by The Athletic as an “out-of-the-box candidate” for the Giants. On Oct. 22, Vitello became the first MLB manager ever hired directly from college without any MLB experience, and Elander was tabbed as his successor three days later.
Tennessee will open the Elander era Friday afternoon against Nicholls inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium, with the Vols very different now compared to their Chattanooga visit just four months ago.
“I just think there is more stability,” Elander said last week during a Zoom call. “There was so much unknown then, and it was obviously such an odd time. Obviously I’m incredibly excited for Tony. What an incredible experience.