Tennessee baseball support staffer Ethan Payne is leaving the Volunteer program to accept an assistant coach position at Jacksonville State, D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers first reported on Friday evening.
Payne’s official title at Tennessee was “camp coordinator” but the Memphis native also helped with coaching duties during his two years on Tennessee’s support staff. Before his time as a support staffer, Payne played at Tennessee from 2020-24.
The utility infielder played in 67 games but started just four during his five-year career at Tennessee, hitting .273 with four doubles, one home run and eight RBIs. While Payne was never a starter at Tennessee, he earned playing time as a pinch hitter in bunting situations. He also had a fantastic stretch while playing first base, helping turn a game-saving double play in the Vols’ NCAA Tournament win over Clemson in 2023.
Payne is joining Travis Creel’s inaugural staff at Jacksonville State. Creel took over as head coach earlier this month after spending the previous seven seasons as the recruiting coordinator at Southern Miss.
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Creel replaces Steve Bieser who left Jacksonville State to become the Grand Canyon head coach earlier this offseason. Jacksonville State posted a 48-15 (23-7 CUSA) record this past season, making the NCAA Tournament and ironically losing in the Hattiesburg Regional.
There’s another familiar name joining Creel’s staff as Kyle Serrano is taking over as pitching coach. A former pitcher at Tennessee, Serrano was previously the pitching coach at Johnson College under his dad and former Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano.
Payne’s departure is the second change to Josh Elander’s staff this offseason with the Vols moving on from pitching coach Josh Reynolds and hiring East Carolina’s Austin Knight to replace him.
The rest of the Vol baseball coaching staff includes associate head coach Chuck Jeroloman, recruiting coordinator Ross Kivett, strength coach Keegan Knoll, Director of Player Development Craig Bell, Director of Baseball Strategy Zach Stovall, Director of Recruiting Ricky Martinez, Director of Baseball Operations Adam Low, student assistant coach Parker Serrano, Individual Branding and Community Service Coordinator Kirby Connell, trainer Jeff Wood and nutritionist Sarah Nguyen.
