The Josh Elander era in Knoxville got underway over the weekend, as Tennessee baseball kicked off its 2026 campaign by hosting Nicholls.
The Volunteers swept the visiting Colonels through Friday’s solo matchup and Saturday’s doubleheader, winning by a combined margin of 27-3 through the 3 games.
But perhaps the biggest storyline to emerge from the weekend was the injury status of a key player, as infielder Manny Marin was hit with a pitch the previous week and tried to give it a go Friday before being shut down for both of Saturday’s games.
Elander met with the media following the series and provided an update on the sophomore, explaining that him being held out was more precautionary than anything else.
“Manny got hit with a pitch last weekend,” Elander said. “He’s been kind of navigating that all week. We feel good about it. Woody (Jeff Wood) and Klenck (Dr. Chris Klenck) have done an amazing job with him.
“I think with a little bit of the colder weather last night, it was a little bit tight – I guess would be the right term,” Elander continued. “He had an X-ray pregame, it was negative, so he’ll be day-to-day. We don’t see him missing a lot of time, but obviously, he’s a huge piece for us. But at this point in the year, just want to keep the big picture in mind with Manny.”
Elander’s team will resume play when it hosts UNC-Asheville at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, with Kent State visiting for a 3-game series next weekend.
Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
