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.
“I think I’ve spent, as a player or a coach, a dozen years in the dugout with V in different capacities.”
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The successful trio of Vitello, Elander and pitching coach Frank Anderson is now down to Elander, with Anderson having followed Vitello to San Francisco. The first Elander staff contains associate head coach Chuck Jeroloman, recruiting coordinator Ross Kivett and pitching coach Josh Reynolds.
Jeroloman spent the past six seasons at Florida, while Kivett and Reynolds received promotions after being with the Vols last season.
READ MORE: Elander era for Vols to open with home games, then preseason No. 1
“Our players have done an incredible job with everything going on,” Elander said last week. “The biggest challenge was probably social media and all the riffraff around the scenes.
“I think as we’ve gotten further away from the Christmas period — and I love how the NCAA has opened it up a little bit more so we can get going a little earlier — the focus has clearly been on getting to opening day and stack the days in the meantime.”
Elander was available to the media again Monday, when he was joined by redshirt sophomore catcher Stone Lawless and senior pitcher Evan Blanco, who transferred to the Vols from Virginia along with junior third baseman and former Baylor School standout Henry Ford. The change in leadership and the adjustments that followed became a popular topic.
“The biggest thing has been the composure,” Lawless said. “No one really batted an eye when V left and when Frank left. It was kind of, ‘If you want to be here, then you’ll be here.’
“We stayed tight as a group, and we adapted. We’re going to be ready to compete come Friday.”
Tennessee went 46-19 last season, which included a 16-14 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Vols have been picked to finish sixth in this year’s race behind a first five of reigning national champion LSU, Texas, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Auburn.
Elander announced Monday that sophomore Tegan Kuhns would start Friday’s 4:30 opener, followed by sophomore and Rutgers transfer Landon Mack on Saturday and Blanco on Sunday, with the weekend games each starting at 1.
“I think this rotation puts us in the best position to have success out of the gate,” Elander said. “You can make the argument you can mix and match these guys in any capacity, but it was cool to call these guys one by one last night and let them know. I’ve got total confidence in all three.”
The Vols, who are ranked 13th by Baseball America and 14th by D1 Baseball, will play their first eight games at home before facing preseason No. 1 UCLA on Feb. 27 at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas.
“The start of the season is here, and we’re excited,” Elander said Monday, “but this will be a process of getting better and better as we go through the course of a year and eventually get into SEC play.”
‘Dynamic talent’
Tennessee sophomore Blaine Brown is a transfer from Rice who led the Owls last season with a .292 average and made seven appearances on the mound, including four starts.
Elander was asked Monday how he plans to use Brown.
“He’s such a dynamic talent,” Elander said. “You could argue he just had the best weekend swinging the bat. The guy hits the ball regularly over 110 miles per hour. We went with him as a pitcher and a DH, and he opened up going 93 and 95 (mph).
“There are some opening capabilities there, but he can also come in from left field. A lot of it will be communicating with him and how he’s feeling.”
Odds and ends
Elander was asked about his leadoff spot and said he’s considering both Jay Abernathy and Ford, comparing Ford to what Christian Moore provided on the 2024 title team. … Blanco on the hardest out on the Vols: “The toughest guy to get to swing and miss has got to be Henry Ford. You can sequence all you want and throw whatever you want, and he’ll still find a way to put his bat on the ball, whether it’s wasting a pitch or putting the ball in play.” … Elander said that redshirt junior pitcher Brandon Arvidson, who was hit in the arm during a scrimmage in November, will be eased into the season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.