Josh Elander named Tennessee baseball head coach following Tony Vitello departure
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Tennessee athletic director Danny White has made a decision. Tennessee baseball, just a few days after losing Tony Vitello to the San Francisco Giants, has hired former assistant Josh Elander to be the Vols’ new head coach.
Elander will be the 26th head coach in Tennessee baseball history.
For many reasons, this was the obvious choice, even with the Vols reportedly interviewing Coastal Carolina HC Kevin Schnall on Friday. Elander has experience within a winning program and was instrumental in Tennessee’s 2024 national championship season. He’ll also be able to pick up right where Vitello left off and lead what is set to be a great roster this season. Keeping that continuity, especially heading into this season, was absolutely vital.
Not to mention, former players and coaches gave Elander their seal of approval after Vitello left for San Francisco this past week. Among these players and coaches include former Vols HC Dave Serrano and 1B Blake Burke, to name a few.
Elander has been with this Tennessee baseball program since 2017 and helped the Vols to 6 NCAA Tournament appearances alongside Vitello. He also served as Tennessee’s recruiting coordinator and has so far done an excellent job guiding top-tier talent to Knoxville.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
