Making the case for and against hiring Josh Elander as South Carolina's next baseball coach

Heading into week two of the offseason, South Carolina has yet to land on hiring a new head baseball coach. It’s not an easy decision as there are a lot of strong candidates available.

One of those getting looked at is Tennessee associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Josh Elander. As the search continues, here are the reasons for why and why not the Gamecocks should look to hire Elander as the next coach in Columbia.

Why South Carolina should hire Elander

When Tony Vitello was hired at Tennessee in June 2017, he brought along Elander, a young assistant looking to get his feet wet and make a mark in the coaching industry. And since then, the two have been together in Knoxville every step of the way.

In speaking to Volquest’s Eric Cain, it seems like Elander does just about everything with the baseball program. He works with the hitters, catchers, pitchers and infielders. And with the offense specifically, the Vols have been fantastic under his guidance. In 2024, they led the SEC in a lot of major categories, including hits, home runs, average and slugging.

Him and Vitello see eye to eye on a lot of things. And so while he doesn’t have head coaching experience, he’s getting the next best thing by working with someone like Vitello. He’s basically second in command as Tennessee tries to get back to the College World Series this weekend.

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What also helps Elander is that he’s a former catcher. In baseball, catchers tend to make some of the better head coaches because they are so involved in everything.

But it’s not just what he’s doing on the field that is working so well. He’s also a pretty solid recruiter. Since his arrival, Elander has helped Tennessee sign six top-15 recruiting classes according to Perfect Game.

Cain told GamecockCentral: “He does a really, really good job with his evaluations. I mean, he has his hand in pretty much everything in terms of evaluating, making initial contacts, when these guys come on campus showing them around connecting with them, showing them kind of what a day in the life of Tennessee athlete would be. He kind of directs all that traffic, but I just think it’s something he takes pride in.”

From South Carolina’s standpoint, it might be a good idea to take a chance on Elander. He’s only 33 years old, so he should come at a cheaper price, if that’s something the program is looking for. But he’s been around some of the best years in Tennessee baseball history. He’s knows what works and what doesn’t. So that could translate over well.

Why South Carolina shouldn’t hire Elander

The first thing everyone will point to is the fact that Elander has never been a head coach before. There have been some comparing this situation to when Chad Holbrook was hired after Ray Tanner became the athletics director in 2012. And judging by how that hire went, it’s easy to feel like it could be the same outcome.

In this hiring process, South Carolina cannot afford to take many risks. While Elander might be a very good head coach someday, there are no guarantees. Plus, the Gamecocks are in win-now mode. They expect to go deep into the postseason and look to right the ship sooner rather than later. With a brand-new coach, it might take time to see positive results.

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It’s also worth noting that Elander is one of the only candidates to still be in season with his current team. Tennessee is looking to secure a trip to Omaha when it faces Evansville in game three of the Knoxville Super Regional on Sunday.

If the Vols advance, there will be at least a one-week delay in making this hire. If Tennessee goes all the way, it could become a two-week stint of playing the waiting game. And that might not be the way to go for South Carolina.

If Tanner and company choose to wait it out, that could create some complications. The transfer portal has been open and will stay open until July 2. So the longer they wait, the tougher it will be for Elander or the new coach to get off to a good start. But at the same time, Monte Lee, who is serving as the interim head coach right now, has been busy looking to bring in new talent on the recruiting trail.

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