Tennessee baseball is parting ways with Josh Reynolds as the program’s pitching coach, the program announced in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“I want to thank Josh Reynolds for his hard work and dedication to the Tennessee baseball program during his two seasons in Knoxville, but I have decided it’s best for our program to move in a different direction from a pitching standpoint at this time,” Tennessee head coach Josh Elander said in a statement.
Reynolds joined Tony Vitello’s staff as a secondary pitching coach before the 2025 season with Elander promoting him to pitching coach following Vitello and then-pitching coach Frank Anderson’s departure to the San Fransisco Giants late in the fall.
Tennessee’s pitching staff took a major step back during the 2026 season, ranking 49th nationally in team-ERA. This comes after Tennessee’s pitching staff had ranked in the top 20 nationally in team-ERA each of the last seven seasons.
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The Vols had a solid starting rotation of Tegan Kuhns, Landon Mack and Evan Blanco during the 2026 season but still struggled due to a bullpen that lacked quality depth. Brandon Arvidson, Cam Appenzeller and Bo Rhudy all had strong stretches but behind them, the Vols lacked reliable options.
That was highlighted in the final month of the season when arm soreness sidelined Mack. Tennessee’s offense carried them to series victories over Texas and Oklahoma but the lack of reliable pitching options saw them give up double-digit runs in series finale losses against the Longhorns and Sooners.
While Elander searches for a new pitching coach, rebuilding the pitching staff is a major priority for Tennessee this offseason. A number of pitchers have already shared their intentions to return next season including Mack, Appenzeller, Nic Abraham, Will Haas and Chandler Day.
Kuhns, Arvidson and Rhudy are all likely off to professional baseball and Blanco is out of eligibility.
