Josh Elander had a problem. After spending two days recruiting transfers Billy Amick, Cannon Peebles and Ryan Galanier at the Cape Cod League in Massachusetts, Elander was readying for his late night flight back to Knoxville. But Canadian wild fires cancelled all flights out of the northeast that night.
Then Tennessee’s associate head coach, Elander had to make it back to Knoxville. His wife, Brittany, was pregnant and had a doctor’s appointment in the morning.
“I had to rent a car and drive through the night from New York City all the way to Knoxville and you want to talk about some caffeine being dominated but I made it in one piece,” Elander told RTI in June 2024. “Think I slept for like 20 minutes in a hotel somewhere and then I got back in and went to my wife’s appointment.”
But Elander’s crazy 24 hours wasn’t done just yet. Star Clemson transfer Billy Amick arrived on Tennessee’s campus that day and the Vols’ new head coach went straight from the appointment to Tennessee’s campus to prepare for the key visit.
“That was an insane 24-36 hour swing,” Elander said. “It was just the cost of doing business.”
Amick eventually chose Tennessee over the nation’s top programs. He hit .306 and 23 home runs in the three-hole as the Vols’ won the 2024 national championship. At the Cape Cod League, Elander also recruited North Carolina State transfer Cannon Peebles and Wofford grad transfer Ryan Galanie.
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Peebles and Galanie also committed to Tennessee though Galanie signed professionally and never made it to campus. RTI detailed the recruitments of Tennessee’s seven-player transfer class that helped lead the Vols to the 2024 championship here.
Elander’s recruiting chops helped Tennessee baseball turn into one of the nation’s top programs in recent seasons. It’s also a reason why Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White turned to Elander to lead the Volunteer program after Tony Vitello left last week to become the new San Fransisco Giants manager.
The 34-year old Elander is one of the top recruiters in the country and has an elite ability to build relationships with and relate to recruits.
“We’ve had a great relationship since 2022, even before I was committed to the University of Tennessee,” former catcher Cal Stark said of Elander. “He creates relationships from the get-go, from the time he starts talking to you. It’s a lot more than just baseball when it comes to him and how he treats you. How he treats you as a person. It’s a lot more than just you’re a player.”
To be a great recruiter, you have to have an elite work ethic. Elander’s all night drive home from the Cape Cod League is one of just countless examples of his recruiting drive.
“I mean, if we weren’t practicing, then he was in Atlanta or down in Jupiter,” former pitcher Drew Beam said. “He was always flying to places, was putting in the hours. I think that’s what makes him great, is just the want to get after it.”
