The 26th head coach in program history stood surrounded by his players, smiling for the cameras.
Tennessee baseball officially had its guy.
The scene at Josh Elander’s introductory press conference acted as the culmination of one of the more hectic weeks in Vols’ history. Tony Vitello’s groundbreaking departure to manage the San Francisco Giants gave one of the nation’s premier programs the tall task of engineering a coaching search during late October. Athletic director Danny White’s nationwide coaching search couldn’t have resulted more locally.
Elander’s hiring is the one that current and former players pleaded for, the only man for the job to those within the program.
Here are three big takeaways from his introductory press conference.
Players first
One of the big advantages associated with Tennessee’s decision to stay in-house is the ability to retain a lot of the current players who are on the roster.
Elander spent the past three seasons as the Vols’ recruiting coordinator, traveling the nation to generate perennially one of the top classes in college baseball. While the players indeed signed up to play for Vitello, the man who truly helped their decision is now at the helm. Elander’s influence led him to become a beloved figure on the coaching staff, a reputation that made him the top candidate out of the gate.
“To our current players,” Elander said. “That moment last week going in the room, when it was finally announced as being the head coach, I can’t really even put it into words. It’s something that I’ll never forget the rest of my life. I’m so impressed with the professionalism and how you guys handled the challenges of last week. To our future players, I appreciate you sticking with us the last week. I know change can be hard, but this is an incredible opportunity. We have one of the best staffs in college baseball and some of the best people that do what they do.”
The standard
Elander spent a portion of his opening statement highlighting three traits he hopes will define his tenure.
With his background, the Round Rock, Texas, native aims to keep Tennessee atop the sport on the recruiting front. His influence proved key to the development of six first-round MLB draft selections, three of which have made their way to the big leagues.
Elite preparation and intense competition rounded out the points on his agenda, nothing new for a Vols’ program that is known as one of the hardest to play. Elander knows that Tennessee’s hungry identity is one of its main calling cards.
“I want our guys to prepare like professionals and go compete like champions,” Elander said. “I want them to be on the hunt. I want them to push the line between aggressive and reckless. We’ll have their back, regardless. If you want to play in the SEC, you better love to compete. It’s a razor thin margin of victory. But our guys signed up because they want to be the best and they want to beat the best.”
Vitello’s legacy
The emotions started to kick in when Tennessee’s new leader gave thanks to his former one.
Vitello and Elander arrived at the doorstep of a then-small Lindsey Nelson Stadium at the same time. The two helped the Vols claim their first national title in program history, transforming the program along with the rest of their coaching staff. The duo’s eight seasons made history.
“We made a lot of great memories,” Elander said. “A lot of wins, a lot of running around on the road, a lot of dreaming to make this place something great. And I really believe our staff did that together. I’m so excited for you, man. I can’t wait to see you win a World Series. But thank you for taking a chance on me and showing me what it means to leave your soul in the game. I hope our players always feel that way as well.”
