Josh Elander explains why Tennessee is hiring Austin Knight as next pitching coach
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Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander made a huge addition to his coaching staff on Saturday morning.
The Vols have officially announced the hiring of pitching coach Austin Knight — a former Ole Miss catcher who most recently served as the pitching coach at East Carolina.
In a press release confirming the move, Elander touched on why the Vols targeted Knight for this role.
“Austin has a proven track record of developing pitchers and leading successful staffs that compete at the highest level,” Elander said in the release. “He is an exceptional coach and recruiter whose values align with our culture, and we look forward to the impact he will have on our student-athletes and program.”
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Elander is entering his first full offseason as the head coach of Tennessee baseball. He replaced Tony Vitello midway through the offseason this past year after Vitello accepted an offer from the San Francisco Giants.
Knight was ECU’s pitching coach for 5 seasons. During that span, the Pirates were top-25 nationally in ERA 3 times. His time at ECU also included the development of Toronto Bluejays star Trey Yesavage, who was a first-round pick in 2024 and quickly reached the Major Leagues in 2025.
Tennessee will be hoping Knight can help bring the program to greater heights in 2027.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
