Josh Elander won’t coach Tennessee baseball like a Tony Vitello impression

Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander told a room full of fans that there should be a statue of Tony Vitello on campus, but he doesn’t plan on filling his predecessor’s mold precisely.

“I’m really just trying to be myself. I’m not trying to be anything else,” Elander said after speaking to the UT Tipoff Club at Calhoun’s On The River on Jan. 19. “I know Tony was amazing with the media. I’m just very grateful to be here and incredibly motivated to get these (players) ready to rock and roll.”

In October, Elander replaced Vitello, who became the San Francisco Giants manager. He spent the winter retooling UT’s 39-player roster, integrating the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class into the program and reminding himself that he doesn’t have to change in his new position.

“I’m not trying to be Tony,” Elander said. “I’m trying to be the best version of myself.”

So who is Josh Elander? During the 30-minute meet-and-greet, he came off as genuine, humble and extremely organized.

The native Texan has a full beard and wore a camouflage vest to speak to fans who pledged their support for him. He easily recalled personal stories about players, laid out detailed plans about his lineup, gushed over his wife and three daughters and cracked a few jokes.

When Elander was a UT assistant, he sometimes had to serve as the acting coach when Vitello and pitching coach Frank Anderson were ejected from games for arguing with the umpire.

“Well, I’m definitely (getting ejected) at some point (as head coach), and I’ve learned from the best. After seeing Tony and Frank do it, I know about 10 different ways to get tossed,” said Elander to a roaring room of laughter.

Josh Elander debut as Tennessee baseball coach coming soon

But that’s just a snippet of Elander’s personality that’ll become better known as the Vols move into his coaching era.

With the 2026 season approaching, Elander is reintroducing himself to UT fans. He’s no longer just the elite recruiter and hitting coach that assisted Vitello en route to three College World Series trips and the 2024 national championship.

He’s the head coach, and his debut is coming soon.

Tennessee starts its 2026 season with eight straight nonconference home games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols will play a three-game series against Nicholls (Feb. 13-15) and Kent State (Feb. 20-22). And they’ll host UNC Asheville (Feb. 17) and Bellarmine (Feb. 24) in midweek games.

Then Tennessee will play three games in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas: UCLA on Feb. 27 (4 p.m. ET); Arizona State on Feb. 28 (noon); Virginia Tech on March 1 (11:30 a.m.).

Notably, UCLA is the nation’s No. 1 team in the D1Baseball preseason poll. Tennessee is ranked No. 14.

UT’s challenging SEC schedule opens at Georgia on March 13.

Elander plans to coach like Tony Vitello in some areas

Elander wants to lead UT baseball like an ultra-organized CEO similar to Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle, whom he played for at TCU. And he wants to do that with the calmness and the instincts of Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn, whom he coached under with the Razorbacks.

And Elander credits Vitello as his most significant influence. He said Vitello held players accountable while never allowing “fakeness” into a relationship.

But Elander knows he doesn’t have to attempt a Vitello impression to please fans. He just needs to win at a high level, and he’s got a plan for that.

The Vols are loaded with talent because of high-level recruiting and transfer portal pickups. They tout elite pitching, and they should remain one of the best hitting teams in college baseball.

But Elander also wants UT to play disciplined defense that relies on fundamentals rather than flashy highlights.

“I tell the guys that we don’t need NBA point guards. We don’t need the behind-the-back spinning throw,” Elander said. “I just want them to protect 90 feet and dominate the average play.”

It’s a subtle change from last season’s team, but probably not the last. Elander is trying to continue the Vols’ success under Vitello while putting his own stamp on the program.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.