Here’s everything Josh Elander said during his introductory press conference.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Monday was a big day for the Tennessee baseball program, and the Vols’ new head coach had plenty to say about it.

Josh Elander was introduced formally Monday morning as Tennessee’s new head baseball coach, meeting with reporters in a presser at the Vols’ Anderson Training Center.

The top job at Tennessee became available last week, when Tony Vitello made history by becoming the first man to leap directly from a college job to a managerial role in Major League Baseball. 

The polarizing, popular, wildly successful Vitello produced the most successful tenure in Tennessee history, and his right-hand man throughout that tenure is staying in Knoxville to lead a program that won the 2024 national championship, has been to five consecutive NCAA Super Regionals and three College World Series in the past five seasons.

UT Athletics Director Danny White announced at the outset that he and a selection committee would conduct a national search for Vitello’s replacement, and several candidates around the country were indeed discussed, according to multiple sources in the college baseball industry. 

Ultimately, though, Vitello’s replacement at Tennessee will be the man who stood next to him and helped him transform an also-ran with poor facilities into a perennial title contender with some of the best facilities in the college game.

Here’s everything Elander said at his Monday presser.

“Just want to start by thanking all the players. Hopefully, you guys aren’t missing class right now to be here. And then, before we get into this, has anything happened this last week around here? Any changes or anything?

“In all seriousness, I want to start by acknowledging our leadership and administration. Chancellor (Donde) Plowman, Danny White, our athletics director, Alicia Longworth, Marshall Steward, Tyler Johnson, Randy Boyd. This is one of the best universities in all of college sports, and I truly believe we have the best people leading us into the next phase of Tennessee baseball. I’m thankful for how this process, how this played out, as well. To be able to go through the interview process, to have to compete is the only thing I wanted to ask for. Because I just wanted one more day with the guys that we had in the building. So I’m so thankful it played out in that way. And it’s an honor and privilege to stand here as a new head coach at Tennessee baseball.

“The last few days have been a whirlwind, but the last two specifically. Gratitude has been the main word. I’m so thankful for all the people that made it possible. A lot of them are standing in this room right in front of me right here. I do want to thank some former players. I could literally go 35 minutes on this, but Chris Burke has been above and beyond the last few days. Luke Hochevar, again, one of the best human beings I’ve ever been around. Blake Burke, Drew Beam, Jordan Beck, Connor Pavolony, Ricky Martinez, I could go on and on. C-Mo [Christian Moore], [Drew] Gilbert. You guys are family to me, and you guys are the only reason I’m standing right here. And this program will always belong to you, so please come back. I can’t wait to see you guys, and I just love you guys from the bottom of my heart.

“To our current players: That moment last week, going in the room, when it was finally announced as me being the head coach, I can’t really even put it into words. It’s something that I’ll never forget the rest of my life. I can’t wait to go to battle with you guys this spring. I’m so impressed with the professionalism and how you guys handled the challenges of last week.

“To our future players: I appreciate you sticking with us the last week. I know change can be hard, but this is an incredible opportunity. We have one of the best staffs in college baseball, and some of the best people that do what they do. I can’t wait for them to be able to coach you, and I can’t wait to go to battle with you guys very, very, very soon. 

“To our current staff: Frank the Tank (Frank Anderson), father figure, we all love you. Undefeated as interim head coach in the SEC. It’s a good start. 

“Ross (Kivett), my right-hand man, Q [strength coach Quentin Eberhardt], family, always have been, known you since I was a kid. Ricky, Ren, Stove, Woody, Megan, Low, I could go on and on. You guys are the people that make this place great, and you make our players better every day. I can’t wait to continue working with all of you. 

“To my previous coaches, I’m gonna start with Jim Schlossnagle, my collegiate head coach. I learned so much from you — discipline, habits and standards, what it takes to win. But just to be selfless, have incredible energy and seek excellence in everything that you do. I’ve always learned that from you, and I can’t wait to share that with our players, as well. To Dave Van Horn, for the invitation to the SEC, to learn how to be a phenomenal head coach but also be an amazing family man, that is something that will be a big part of the rest of my life as a coach, because I love these three little monsters right here. 

“To Randy  Mazey, Bill Mosiello, Todd Whitting and Pat Boder, who’s no longer with us, to learn the X’s and O’s from you guys, I can’t wait to share that, the knowledge and the things that basically I had so much fun learning and getting better of the fundamentals and mastering those deals with our players, that will always be a part of any program that we’re associated with moving forward. And then Tony V. … a lot of ways I could go with this. We made a lot of great memories. A lot of wins, a lot of running around on the road, a lot of dreaming to make this place something great. And I really believe our staff did that together. I’m so excited for you, man. I can’t wait to see you win a World Series. But thank you for taking a chance on me and showing me what it means to leave your soul in the game. I hope our players always feel that way as well.

“To my parents, Robert and Kris, for holding it down in Texas today, I love you. So grateful for all the time at the baseball field, for your firm and fair parenting and incredible example of what it means to have a loving marriage. To my brothers and sisters — Chase, Shannon, Lauren — I hope Texas is treating you well. Sorry for all the times we had to go to baseball fields in the summer, but I can’t wait for y’all to see the new Lindsey Nelson Stadium this spring. 

“And to my wife, Brittany, the best teammate I’ve ever had in my whole life. We always talked about making sacrifices with our children to know that … to show them that they could be part of something bigger than themselves. I know I’ve missed some stuff along the way. I can’t wait for our kids to continue to experience the magic of Rocky Top. AJ, I love you guys. 

“Changing gears a little bit: We’re here to keep this thing going. I know Coach Kiv is our Twitter monster, so follow his stuff, but we’re gonna keep this thing going. I love these people in this building. I love this roster. I mean, we talked about the scrimmages yesterday, the crispness, the high-level prospects, the fundamentals. It’s in the building right now. You don’t have to hunt that down. I really believe in our recruiting classes and the people that are on the way, but we also have a great respect for this league and what winning requires in this league. We’ve been in here for a long time now, and we’re excited for the challenge that’s to come. We’re just gonna continue to have great habits and processes to continue to improve, and for the players here, let’s finish this fall well together. 

“Three expectations I have going forward – and this is nothing new for our players —  we want to recruit and develop at the highest level. Objectively, we’ve done that better than any program since COVID. I’m excited for that to continue with the people in the room that make this possible. 

“I want our guys to prepare like professionals and go compete like champions. I want them to be on the hunt. I want them to push the line between aggressive and reckless. And then, regardless of how it plays out, we’ll have their back, regardless. And I want to create competition. If you want to play in the SEC, you better love to compete. It’s getting more (competitive). It’s tough, tough, tough. It’s a razor-thin margin of victory. But our guys signed up because they want to be the best, and they want to beat the best. And I can’t wait to go to battle with you guys this spring. 

“To Vol Nation — the best fan base in all the college sports — I just can’t get over all the years traveling, being in the airport, someone saying, ‘Hey, go Vols’ because I’ve got my backpack on during a recruiting trip. Or being on the beach in Mexico with my wife last year, someone says, ‘Hey, go Vols’ from across the way. To feel the power of the Power T and what the Volunteer State means, I will never take that for granted. I’m so excited for our kids to open the new Lindsey Nelson Stadium, but also going to [Food City Center] and the softball games and Neyland Stadium. This is a one-of-a-kind fanbase, and you guys make this place special, and we’re really gonna need you this spring. I can’t wait to see you guys out there. And feel free to welcome the opposing teams in Knoxville the right way.

“In closing, nine years ago, I got this job. Tony called — I went on the road basically immediately — never went back to the place that I rented in Arkansas. Running around recruiting, doing a bunch of deals. But when I got here finally for our first visit, we were running a kid around, there was a welcome packet on my desk, (which) had a bunch of different things. But the main thing I took out of that, I just took some scissors and cut it out. It was a quote from Pat Summitt. It’s been hanging in my office for nine years, and it ain’t going anywhere. That quote is, ‘Here’s how I’m gonna beat you. I’m gonna outwork you. That’s it.’ That’s all there is to it. I cannot wait to see what our staff players and Vol Nation can accomplish together in the future. Thank you guys, and go Vols.”

ON WHAT THE PAST WEEK HAS BEEN LIKE FOR HIM, AND HIS EMOTIONS WHEN HE LEARNED HE’D GOTTEN THE JOB …

“It was all over the place. The way it went down with Tony. Again, we were so focused on the fall and getting better. I think we’ve always been trying to say, ‘What is essential, and what is not?’  We focus on what’s important, and we’re in a very important period of the fall right now. The emotions were crazy. I think for all the staff, we have a genuine, rooted love for this university. And it was scary, just to be very honest with you. I want to be crystal clear, we’re all thrilled for Tony Vitello. What an amazing opportunity to do something that’s never been done before. His fingerprints will always be on this program. But to be able to earn the job and to be able to walk in and see these guys, and that moment I had with them, I’ll never forget. Really excited for the future, but just grateful and thankful, because when you’re looking at, ‘Hey, maybe you’re not able to wear that Power T anymore,’ it’s a pretty scary feeling, to be honest.”

ON WHAT HE WANTED TO SHOW THE COMMITTEE DURING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS …

“I think I just wanted to be myself. I reached out to some of my mentors in the game, and again, I just want to be myself. I didn’t want to try to push some crazy narrative or have the arrogance that I have to put my stamp on this program. This program will always be about the players, developing them the right way, but just really just highlighting the systems, whether it be the habits of the players we have, the recruiting relationships that we have, and how that can continue to just get better and better as we go with the people that are in this building.”

ON HIS PRIORITIES AS TENNESSEE’S NEW HEAD COACH …

“Yeah, I mean, honestly, my focus has essentially been connecting with all the recruits, making sure they’re in a good spot, taking care of our players and finishing the fall. For me, it’s, ‘Hey, how do we get through this period that we have that’s a limited time based on NCAA rules, and how do we get better?’ I think big picture stuff, we’ll get with our staff, and I’ll lean on them and the administration. We just want a team to be able to communicate like champs across the board. That’s our focus moving forward.

“But again, like any kind of notion that I have to put my stamp on something like this now … this is an organic, sustainable culture that’s been built over a long period of time. And we truly, truly believe in that. And the players are the ones who make that possible and hold those standards every day.”

ON HIS PRIORITIES AWAY FROM THE BASEBALL FIELD …

“I think I’m a father first in everything that I do. I love my family, but anybody that commits to play at Tennessee, there needs to be a trust that will take care of their kids, right? But who am I? I love the game of baseball. I love the intricacies of the X’s and O’s and the fundamentals and trying to dominate the average play, but also what works over the course of 56 (games) and what winning requires in this league. It’s not easy. I’ve made some mistakes, plenty of them over the last nine years in this league in recruiting or on the field, but I think it puts us all in a better position moving forward.

“But again, this day is not about me. This is about this program and what we’ve accomplished. It’s about these players. I can’t wait for you to see my guy Blaine Brown go deep. Henry Ford put a hole in the scoreboard yesterday. The next 100 mph arm, it’ll always be about these guys.”

ON THE REACTION FROM HIS PARENTS TO HEARING THAT HE GOT THE JOB …

“I love my parents more than anything. Honestly, I never expected the chaos on the phone. I wasn’t ready for that. I’m gonna make it a priority to get back with everybody as all this plays out. But my parents have just been so incredibly supportive. They were actually here this last weekend to help us hold down the fort with the little ones. So I’m just excited to share that moment with them.

“But they’ve always been so supportive, and I’m so thankful I wouldn’t be standing here without that.”