It’s been a busy five weeks for Tennessee baseball since its 2026 season came to close in the Chapel Hill Regional. The Vols lost 18 players to the transfer portal, retained many of their top players from last season and have added eight players in the portal to date.
Head coach Josh Elander joined SportsTalk991 with John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara late last week to discuss Tennessee’s offseason to date including the transfer portal, new pitching coach Austin Knight and more. Here’s everything Elander said.
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On what it’s been like to work with new Tennessee pitching coach Austin Knight over the last month
“Just going back to the regional, you’re going 13, 14 innings (against) East Carolina, and you have a chance to execute, and I just thought he called a great game. Just looking at the pitching that he had, there was some SEC guys over there that had some limited success at other places, that all of a sudden became real weapons in postseason baseball. Coach (Ross) Kivett has known him for a long time. There’s a lot of people in the league, just mutually, that have nothing but incredible respect for Austin and what he’s done. I think he has an innate ability to connect with players, and he’s really hungry to prove it in the SEC as a former SEC player himself. So he’s been a phenomenal addition so far, has really hit the ground running on the recruiting trail, and has really integrated seamlessly with our staff, and has really helped us, especially on the pitching side of the recruiting here over the last month or so.”
On the work they put it before the transfer portal opens in order to be prepared for when the chaos begins
“This year, I think it’s as crazy as it’s ever been. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it — why it changed so much in the portal this year, but I think you just have to adapt. That’s what college sports is becoming. We meet with the players one-on-one, but it’s a delicate balance, because as the portal is opening, it’s the most important time of the year as you’re trying to make your march on the way to Omaha, or during the postseason. You want to kind of limit distractions, all that. So our staff does a good job of connecting with agencies or advisors behind the scenes to get a feel for what’s going on. You can never keep everybody happy. That’s one thing that we’ve learned, and at the same time, I think it’s really turned out really, really well with the way our staff has managed that with the pluses and minuses. Really excited about how the roster is coming together for next year.”
On if he has felt any difference in the perception of Tennessee from transfers now that he is head coach
“No, I don’t think so. I think what’s really cool is even with the change with V going to the Giants, like where the program is at and what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last five to seven years, these kids grew up watching Tennessee winning baseball games, and Drew Gilbert hitting home runs, and Jordan Beck and Christian Moore, and all these phenomenal players that we’ve had. So, I think it’s an incredible destination, and I think people know that from coast to coast. So, it puts us in a spot where we can really go grab the best, and I think that’s what we’ve been able to do. Hats off to especially Danny White and our administration, what they’ve been able to do for us, and it’s been awesome to work with them so closely as a team, because you have to have a team if you want to win in the SEC at a high level. Alicia Longworth and Tyler Johnson and Danny White, they have been instrumental in making sure that we’re able to attract the best, so definitely want to say thank you to them as we’ve worked through this, but again, it’s been a fun summer, it really has.”
On Tennessee’s group of returning players; players announcing that they are returning for another season in today’s age of college athletics
“I never knew that was part of the equation until about a month ago. That was a weird one. I didn’t know you had to announce you were coming back to a school that you’ve been signed with or played with, but we will adapt with the times, but I think honestly, like seeing that stuff on social media, I think it did kind of create some confusion for some people, or whatever it may be, because you’re working through kind of each player as you go, but you know, there’s a multitude of things you’re having to balance. Because you have guys, portal, you’re dealing with some agencies, and you have your current roster, and then there’s even junior-college guys and high school guys at the same time, so there’s a lot of buckets that you have to work through.
“But again, really excited. I think the core of the Tennessee Volunteers from last year that helped us win, we got every single one of those guys back. I know we lost some, but again, we’re looking for guys that are worried about the right things that love Tennessee and are not happy with how things ended last year, and want to play a little bit deeper into the postseason. So I feel like as far as makeup, I think we got the right guys back, and then that’s something we’ve really hunted down in the portal, is guys that are obviously incredibly talented, but want to win at a high level and love Knoxville, and understand how unique, and what a blessing it is to play and wear the Power T.
“So, yeah, the whole announcing thing, we’ll be better prepared next year, I guess. But at the same time, I mean, with Trent (Grindlinger) and Levi (Clark), and obviously Stone (Lawless), Grimm (Blake Grimmer is) an amazing addition, and you know, Ethan Baiotto — there’s a lot of guys that we worked through, but that was a different experience, because again, there was a little bit of irony to that. It really was.”
On Tennessee LHP Cameron Appenzeller and catcher Trent Grindlinger having the opportunity to spend time with Team USA this summer
“Yeah, that Team USA one is special, especially as we get to the Fourth of July. I mean, what an incredible opportunity to wear USA across the chest.
“Now, I know Appy is now done for the summer. We wanted to be very careful with him. He was so good for us this year, and really was an incredible difference maker, but we have to keep the big picture in mind with him. So he’s already back at home, he’s going to have the weekend with the family, then we’re going to lock him up in the weight room and in the kitchen until next fall, so he gains some weight and he’s ready to go. Him and (strength coach) Keegan (Knoll) have a really good plan, so he’ll be back after the weekend.
“Trent actually got hit in the head with a pitch one of his first games at USA. Now, I was out there with Coach Knight a few days ago, got to see all those guys, and he’s in good spirits, but he’s kind of working back through that protocol.
“We have the guys kind of spread out. The USA thing is a really, really cool deal for the program, and then also for the players. I mean, it is so hard to be able to do that, but Levi’s up in the Cape (Cod League) getting after it. I know Blaine (Blaine) is heading up that way, Ethan Baiotto is throwing well up in the Cape, so you know, again, we got those guys getting out, and some of them, it’s just kind of closing the gap, whether getting some more reps, but also, too, it gives them an opportunity to work on some things and make some adjustments, because that’s the key. You have to continue to get better throughout the summer, and there’s different ways to do that, but some of it will be the guys in the weight room with Keegan, like we’ll do with Appy. Some, it’s a blend, and some it’s, ‘Hey, go get as many at-bats as you can.’ And I mean, speaking of at-bats, Tyler Myatt is having a great summer up there in the Cape. So some really good signs all the way around from our incoming guys, and the returners.”
On if he was frustrated that another Tennessee player got hit in the head when he heard the news about Trent Grindlinger
“Unfortunately, we have some experience with that conversation over the last year, so hopefully that’s no más after this. But he’s okay, he’s okay. I think it was more just kind of an abundance of caution out there. You know, what’s really cool is, when I went through the deal as a player, Eric Campbell, is still the GM of Team USA baseball, and he does such a good job of understanding, like, hey, you’re representing the red, white, and blue, you want to win, but also too, like, he’s not going to put those kids in a position where they’re going to put him in danger or jeopardy. Whether it be like a deal with Trent or one of the pitchers on the mound as they navigate all that, so I know he’ll be rocking and rolling back in there soon. As we all know, Mr. Trent can hit, so I know he’s excited to get back and get to swinging the bat.”
On what things look like for Tennessee’s signing class ahead of this weekend’s MLB Draft
“Yeah, no, it’s one we’ll definitely have to sweat out, and the draft is a little bit different this year. It starts on the 11th. Rob Manfred, the commissioner, wants to make it kind of a bigger event around the Futures Game and All-Star game, but the first day, they’ll go picks one to 135 pretty quickly. The first 10 is more of a, hey, they’ll draw it out and make it more of a spectacle, but then day two, they’ve really condensed it. I mean, it’s going rounds five to 20, and the picks are going to go very, very fast. So, what we’ve done there is, now as we feel good, as we get done towards the end of the portal stuff, and know what our roster is looking like. We really have to lean on our relationships with the pro side, which we’ve been very fortunate with the players that we’ve had here over the years, that they’re asking us about our players, and then we get to ask them, like, ‘What are you thinking here? Where is this guy maybe slotted now?’ The thing that’s tricky about the MLB Draft is it only takes one team to like you. Everybody’s going to have differing opinions, you know? Where does their model put them out? I don’t think people realize how much of the analytical side is involved in the decision making process on the draft side. I mean, it’s a huge deal for a lot of these teams.
“I’m a big believer if you’ve done your job on the recruiting trail, you should really be sweating it out on draft day. You never get everybody in the class, but you never lose (everybody), so there’s always a surprise one way or the other. We’ve been very fortunate where — Christian Moore is a perfect example. I mean, C-Mo and I would talk all the time for his recruiting process, but you kind of turn the heat back up before the draft, try to have honest conversations. ‘Where you at?’ Get a feel from the kid, but also from the professional side. He’s one we never expected to get to school, and then all of a sudden, all the Vol fans are thankful he did with what he was able to accomplish.
“But it’s a really, really good group. It’s really, really deep on the pitching side. I mean, guys throwing 95-98 (mph), with really good breaking balls on the right-handed pitching side, which I think creates incredible balance with our pitching staff (and) the returners with (Jackson) Estes and Appy, and these guys coming back. There’s a lot of lefties, so you know, we’ll see how it plays out, but it’s a phenomenal group. We’ll just have to kind of — there’ll be a little bit of stay and pray, but there’ll be a lot of work on the front end. I’m going to meet with some of our guys here over the next week or so after the dead period, and then you know, we’ll see who ends up getting to campus.”
On how cool it was to see former Tennessee pitcher Garrett Stallings make his major-league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers recently
“Oh my gosh. What an elite, elite makeup human G-Stall is. Just what he did for us — when I think of Garrett, I just think of a winner. Period. What he was able to do, just how he attacked each day, just the consummate pro of getting better, making adjustments. We inherited him when we got here, so hats off to Slim (AJ Simcox) and Coach (Dave) Serrano, did a great job recruiting the guy, and then he stuck with us when he was here, but just a winner. I mean, he’s a guy that still to this day, we text all the time. I was laughing, his first punch-out, I think was a 3-2 change-up, right-on-right. I’m like, that’s G-Stall right there, just mixing and matching and competing. The thing I saw that was the coolest while he was walking off the mound, just took a little moment, looked up to the sky, you could see kind of the gratitude. I don’t think people really understand. I know it’s been a flash since he’s been here, but that guy’s been grinding in the minor leagues for seven, eight, nine years, whatever it is now. So really cool to see people work hard and get what they deserve.”
