{"id":766873,"date":"2026-08-01T05:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T05:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/766873\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T05:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T05:06:22","slug":"everything-tennessee-baseball-hc-josh-elander-said-on-sportstalk-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/766873\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything Tennessee Baseball HC Josh Elander Said On SportsTalk Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>Photo By Kate Luffman\/Tennessee Athletics<\/p>\n

Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander joined SportsTalk991 with John Wilkerson and Charley Collier on Friday morning to recap the MLB Draft and discuss the back half of the summer for the Vols.<\/p>\n

Elander discussed six Tennessee players being drafted earlier this month, beginning to build team chemistry and much more. Here\u2019s everything Elander said.<\/a><\/p>\n

More From RTI:\u00a0Former Tennessee Baseball Star Billy Amick Moved Ahead Of MLB Trade Deadline<\/a><\/p>\n

On how he\u2019s doing after a busy offseason<\/p>\n

\u201cHey John, it\u2019s good to reconnect with you guys. Want to start by saying congrats to Mr. (Jayson) Swain. What a cool promotion for him to be able to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as we look at baseball, it\u2019s nice to be past the draft. We\u2019ve been back on the road, all over the country, in Knoxville for a short period today before I hop back on a plane out to the West Coast, but it\u2019s been an eventful two or three weeks since we last chatted.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what it was like to watch six Vols drafted off last year\u2019s team<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s something guys just grow up dreaming about, and to be able to come play at Tennessee and have success and get better, and then ultimately take the next step of becoming a major league player. And again, that\u2019s one thing we harp on a lot with our guys, is getting drafted and getting to the big leagues are two completely different things. I think if guys have the right mindset and have the right habits that are built over time in college, it puts them in a position to have a ton of success at the next level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think of guys like Evan Blanco and Henry Ford who made such an impact in just their one year here, and then also Tegan Kuhns, a guy who bet on himself \u2014 turned down over a million dollars to come to Tennessee and gave Vol fans and all of us some amazing performances like against Alabama at home, and I don\u2019t think anybody\u2019s going to forget how he threw the ball versus Texas that night late in SEC play.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo really excited for those guys \u2014 then even Garrett Wright, there\u2019s another one, transfers in. Just a lot of different storylines. Congrats to all those guys. Guys coming from a mid-major to prove it, are coming from another power-four (conference) to prove it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut really excited for that group and wish those guys nothing but the best in their pro career. One of the best things about Knoxville is the guys love to come back. So we look forward to seeing those guys again this fall and then integrating with Ben Joyce or whoever it is, former Vols that will be in the building, working out, getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

On if the coaching staff expected the MLB Draft to go as well as it did:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our staff did a phenomenal job on the front end, leaning on our pro relationships, trying to figure out, \u2018hey, who\u2019s going to make it and who\u2019s not?\u2019 As we kind of worked through that, and then what Coach (Ross Kivett) and I did the week before is we went around the country and met with our guys. We weren\u2019t able to get to all of them, but whether it be on Zoom or in person \u2014 when you go into the draft, you just want to feel like you\u2019ve thrown your best punch and you know, these guys \u2014 whether it be roster (with) where it sits \u2014 (you want to) answer any questions, because a lot of these families have been committed to Tennessee for three or four-plus years now. So you get to the doorstep of choosing between the draft or coming to Tennessee, that\u2019s a pretty good decision to make between those two. You really can\u2019t go wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost five players. We\u2019re super excited for Jared Grindlinger \u2014 obviously Trent\u2019s brother \u2014 and Trevor Condon, those guys got life-changing money. Just super excited. But even the other guys that we did lose, they did a good job. They stuck to their number and stuck to their guns, what they felt they were worth, and were able to get a ton of money. So really excited for those guys.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut also, too, I was really excited with this group, with the maturity and how the guys handled it. Just some of their love for Tennessee and belief in what we can be over, not only next year, but the years in the future, to say no to over seven figures to come play for the Tennessee Volunteers. So it\u2019s a really, really talented group, and I\u2019m really excited to see, because I think it\u2019s a really good balance between the young guys that turned down some good money, that have incredible, just major league quality tools, and then also, again, the blend between some of the portal guys and the returners. It\u2019s got a chance to be a really good group.\u201d<\/p>\n

On if he was surprised seven Tennessee signees who are top-100 prospects made it to campus:<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, that\u2019s not something we look at, but obviously it\u2019s exciting I think when you look at it from a bird\u2019s-eye view. But our staff and I think everybody on our team, whether it be administration, that\u2019s been amazing throughout this whole process, or anybody in our building is, we\u2019ve built good recruiting classes here for a long time. I think Tennessee is such a special place. Everybody in Knoxville that\u2019s been here knows that, but our job now is to \u2014 and it\u2019s been our specialty here for a long time \u2014 is getting those guys in and developing them, and making sure the number we\u2019re worried about is where we\u2019re at at the end of the year as a team. On paper, it\u2019s a very, very talented, deep group.\u201d<\/p>\n

On how Tennessee\u2019s coaching staff prepares its current players for summer ball<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s funny, I get texts throughout the summer like, \u2018hope you guys are getting a good reset in the summer,\u2019 and that\u2019s not the case. We\u2019re gone almost every single day. Our staff has done a phenomenal job. But just to give you guys kind of like an insight, as you go through the summer, when the year ends, the entire focus is on the current roster at the beginning. Obviously, who\u2019s coming and who\u2019s going with the portal, that\u2019s operation one. Then the next task is you get to the draft, you figure out what you got, and obviously the whole time you\u2019re staying in touch with not only the current roster, but also the incoming guys as you go, and your current players. So there\u2019s a lot of minutes on the Verizon phone bill at the end of each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then once you fast forward past that, just to give you guys kind of an insight, I\u2019ve been, I think, to Cary, North Carolina over at the USA complex three times now. I\u2019ve been up to the Cape (Cod League). I got to see Tyler Myatt and Levi Clark, and was able to have dinner with Blaine Brown with a huge assist. We went to some random taco shack in the middle of the woods and it was unbelievable. So that was a good win by him. But he\u2019s throwing the ball great. Myatt\u2019s hitting homers. Levi, I think he\u2019s a really cool story, what he was able to do last year. He struggled a little bit, we stuck with him and he ends up putting up phenomenal numbers in SEC play, and I think there\u2019s another really good year on deck for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you roll right into the 2028. So we are on the eve of being able to be in contact with those guys. So our entire staff has been running around. You know, we were in Georgia last week. I just got back from Cary. I\u2019m hopping on a flight to go to the West Coast here in a few hours. So again, it\u2019s a sprint and a marathon combined, I think, when it comes to that. But, you know, our staff really loves recruiting. It\u2019s really important to me and I learned that from Tony (Vitello). And it\u2019ll always be like that around here, is you better love recruiting. And we do here at Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you know, we\u2019re running around a bunch, balancing, you know, hey, the next guys and our current guys. But again, too, whether it be a cool late night talk with, \u2018hey, this is how I\u2019m feeling in the box,\u2019 with one of our current players or, you know, (Austin) Knight is in the building, and getting to chat with some of our freshmen or some of our pitchers getting acclimated with those guys.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of \u2014 it\u2019s a lot of long hours, but it\u2019s a lot of fun. And our staff has done a really good job of balancing everything this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

On surviving the MLB Draft with the transfer class<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that was a shock, to be honest. I think when you look at some of the talent, I mean, if you start with Jake McCoy, I mean, with a guy with SEC experience that\u2019s up to 99 MPH from the left side, with the wipeout breaking ball. Or Ricky Ojeda is a guy that\u2019s, you could argue is one of the most polished relievers and has a chance to start and has gotten a ton of outs on the west coast. A former Team USA guy. And again, if you just look down that list, it\u2019s Major League quality tools across the board.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s athleticism. There\u2019s some two-way guys, lefties, righties, and then some dynamic defenders. So I think what\u2019s really, really cool is you get these kids on a visit in the portal, and sometimes it\u2019s short because a lot of times they\u2019ll chain their visits where they\u2019ll come in from another SEC school and you get them for 24 hours and they fly to another one. That\u2019s really kind of how it goes. But it was just really cool to see that guys would walk in through the center field gate and just the reaction of seeing the investment that administration has made for us with the new Lindsey Nelson Stadium and getting to go and show them the Rocky Top Club and then just everything on campus. And, again, we have a really, really special place. And I think that\u2019s the reason why not only kids know they can get better here, know they can win here, but I think they\u2019re going to have a great time in Knoxville. And it\u2019s a pretty special combo. And I think that\u2019s the reason we were able to get everybody here.\u201d<\/p>\n

On where the work starts of turning so many new pieces into a team<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother really good question. I think that\u2019s going to be a huge focus for us this fall. I think it\u2019s just getting a team together as much as possible, even outside of baseball because they\u2019re going to spend a ton of time together between the lines and competing. And I love the element of internal competition we have on this team. I think our fall, it\u2019s going to be as competitive as it\u2019s ever been here in Knoxville. So I think, again, some guys will lean into it. Some guys will shy away from that at the beginning. But I think it\u2019s good for those guys to kind of go through that at the same time. But that\u2019s been a big focus is make sure we have a consistent fall with not only getting better between the lines, but also two, getting the pitchers together, getting the hitters together. And then also two little things like pitchers and (Austin) Knight because with Kiv(itt) and I, a lot of these guys with the individual relationships with these players and their families, they\u2019ve either played for us or we recruited them for four or five years. So there\u2019s a pretty good baseline, but getting those guys together, getting them in competitive environments, and then also stuff off the field that\u2019ll be one of our main focuses this fall to hopefully springboard us into, again, is a really, really strong spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the simple things that are key to team building<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so. And I want to give credit to my guy, Wyatt Hanoian. He\u2019s transferred in from the United States Air Force Academy. And one of my former teammates is a coach there and really just kind of talked about how elite his makeup was. And he\u2019s done a good job of being a connector, whether it be these young freshmen that are on campus or again, setting up where those guys are, hey, they got four guys, all baseball dudes living together. And so again, they\u2019re together off the field, on the field. But I\u2019m excited to integrate when we get everybody back because I know Myatt and Levi are still up in the Cape with Blaine. And then some guys are hitting the reset button. And then some of the guys are starting to get back in town. I know Trent (Grindlinger) and Stone (Lawless) and Blake (Burke), those guys are coming back through. But I think that\u2019s so, so important. Again, you got to make sure that I think especially in our league, as tough as it is, anybody can win on any day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think those relationships and that team element is still paramount where, when it\u2019s a Sunday game and it\u2019s 1-1. And it\u2019s 3-3 in the seventh inning is you look to the guy next to you and you want to link up and win for that guy next to you. So I think that\u2019s really, really important. We\u2019ll put some focus there as you go. But I think it\u2019s good looking back to, we have a lot of history here now with the \u201822 team, what they were able to accomplish. And then, \u201823 team, we\u2019ve had so many different seasons here where there\u2019s a lot of different ways to get to end result. I think that gives us a Rolodex where our staff and then what Chuck (Jeroloman) and everybody bring from their previous stops of navigating the gauntlet of the SEC, but making sure we keep the big picture in mind or putting our guys in a position to have success in the postseason.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo By Kate Luffman\/Tennessee Athletics Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander joined SportsTalk991 with John Wilkerson and Charley Collier…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":766874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2276],"tags":[5,56553,2291,4,1586,94808,2410],"class_list":["post-766873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb-draft","tag-baseball","tag-josh-elander","tag-major-league-baseball-draft","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-draft","tag-sports-alk","tag-tennessee-baseball"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/117018518058999457","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=766873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/766874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}