Tennessee baseball reportedly taps new pitching coach
By David Wasson
Published:
The Tennessee baseball program has decided on its new pitching coach, reportedly hiring East Carolina’s Austin Knight.
Fox Sports Knoxville’s Russell Smith first reported Knight’s hire Saturday morning. Knight just finished his seventh season at East Carolina and his fifth season as the Pirates’ pitching coach. East Carolina ranked 20th nationally in ERA (4.23), 25th in WHIP (1.34) and 28th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.54) during the 2026 season.
East Carolina finished 38-24-1 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Chapel Hill Regional, where the Pirates lost to North Carolina. ECU won a share of the American Conference regular-season title and captured the conference’s tournament championship to earn its seventh straight NCAA Tournament trip.
Tennessee dismissed pitching coach Josh Reynolds after one season on the job that saw the Volunteers post a 4.72 ERA – their highest since 2013. Tennessee’s ERA in 2026 ranked seventh in the SEC and 49th nationally, and the Vols’ 6.05 ERA in conference play ranked 10th in the league.
Reynolds spent two seasons with the Vols, first as director of baseball operations and pitching performance in 2025 before being promoted for Josh Elander’s first season as head coach in 2026. The Vols went 38-22 overall and 15-15 in SEC play, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament but going 0-2 in the same Chapel Hill Regional that East Carolina played.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
