The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the programs being talked about heavily in the sport of baseball. This is because they have had a very eventful offseason, both for the good and for the bad, as the Tennessee baseball program has suffered some bad news recently.
That being as Tony Vitello decided to accept a new job, but it wasn’t just a regular college offer. Instead, he accepted an MLB manager job, becoming the first college baseball coach with zero MLB coaching experience to move directly up into a manager position. Not only that but the Tennessee Volunteers baseball coach is now the highest-paid first-time manager in the history of the MLB, as many have high hopes for him, despite him being a first-time guy.
The team he joined was the San Francisco Giants, who finished last season with a .500 record, as they finished with 81-81 record. The Giants have the chance to become a playoff team under the leadership of arguably the greatest baseball coach in Tennessee history.
With Vitello leaving for the MLB, the Vols were forced to conduct a coaching search, which didn’t last long. After Frank Anderson was named the interim coach for three days. Danny White selected the one coach that everyone had hopes he would, as they promoted Josh Elander. Elander is one of the better coaches in Tennessee history when it comes to being an assistant, as he served as the hitting coach, third base coach, and recruiting coordinator. The Vols thought that everything was good, as they lost fewer than three commitments, and they didn’t lose any players to the portal until after fall camp. They have now lost three players to the portal after the initial announcement from Brennon Siegler was made.
Smokey on the sidelines during a NCAA football game against Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Oct. 25, 2025. / Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
One of the players who has now entered the transfer portal is freshman Alex Bedford. Bedford is a guy who has been talked about frequently. Bedford is a guy who just signed and got on campus. He was a top-500 player in the nation, along with being a top-10 player in the state. This seemed to be a bg loss because of how young he is, although he would’ve been a backup to start the season.
Another player who entered the portal is Jaxon Walker. Walker was a top-100 player in the 2024 class, who has a very bright future. He was a major loss for the Vols, as his future with the program was quite bright.