What new Tennessee Baseball coach Josh Elander said during his introductory press conference

What new Tennessee Baseball coach Josh Elander said during his introductory press conference on Monday morning in Knoxville:

Opening Statement

“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 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 all this process 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 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 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. But 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 going to 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 Rainey, Maisey, 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 an 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 going to 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 at 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 going to 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 wanted 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 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 TBA 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 going to 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, 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 going to beat you. I’m going to 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.”

What this last week has been like, the emotions when he found out he got the Tennessee 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. How 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.”

What he wanted to impress upon the Tennessee search committee in the interview process

“Well, I think I just wanted to be myself. I reached out to some of my mentors in the game, and again, 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.”

What he wants to be his own stamp on the Tennessee program

“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 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, 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.”

Who the man behind the beard is

“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. About these players. I can’t wait for you to see my guy, Blaine Brown go deep or Henry Ford put a hole in the scoreboard yesterday. The next 100 mile per hour arm, it’ll always be about these guys.”

The reaction from his parents to him getting the Tennessee job

“Love my parents more than anything, honestly, I’ve 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.”

Balancing the Tennessee program as head coach with things that made him a good assistant coach

“That’s a great question. I think I have to lean on my staff and lean on the administration for some help in this change. I’m not going to act like I have it all figured out immediately. One, in conversations I’ve had with recruits, I’ve been very adamant that I’m still planning on coaching third base. Being in the cage, grinding with the guys on the hitting side, whether it be prep with (Zach) Stovall and Ross (Kivett) and Ricky (Martinez) and how we go about this deal. Just told these guys, hey, anything big picture, let’s just finish this fall at a high level. But with the staff, obviously there’s an open position. My focus is entirely right now on the staff that’s standing right behind you, taking care of those. I’ve been flattered by how many people have reached out, but I’m going to lean on administration as well as our current staff because we have to protect the culture and the timing of everything is very important.And I think also too with the recruits, I would like to loop them in with anything as well.”

What makes Knoxville a special place

“We talk about a ton of recruiting. It’s got everything. You’ve got the Smoky Mountains if you want to go out on the lake, if you want to go to a quarry. You can go downtown, grab a bite to eat, so many good places to eat down here. That’s probably one of my favorite things. But just to see the explosion, how much real estate has gone crazy here. You have anything you could ever want within a 30 mile radius. But you also have the small town bubble of a college feel. Like on game day, this is the place to be in the state. But also two, hey, if you want to go downtown, have a meal or go out to the Smoky Mountains, it’s just a good blend. No matter where kids are from, and we’re going to take pride in recruiting kids coast-to-coast. Hey, they can come to this state. Be like, hey, this is a little bit different. This place is special. And not only can I become the best baseball player in person possible, but I can have a great time living in Knoxville, Tennessee.”

His assessment of the Tennessee baseball team he is taking over as head coach

“Just really excited. I think there’s some firepower on the mound. I think we have a different bullpen than we did last year. Again, I think flame throwers is something we’ve always kind of hunted down in recruiting. Always been 100 mph arms. But when V and Frank and I and Ross went into the portal this year, we had to make some changes. We wanted just a little bit more balance. Maybe some lefty specialists, some cutter guys. Some different looks, whether it be different slots, whether it be high IVB guys, running heaters, sinkers, cutters. We just want to be harder to prepare for. On the pitching side, I’m so, so excited about the youth, the transfers. I think there’s a good balance. And the most exciting thing is, it’s up to them to figure out where they’re going to pitch. That’s not going to change. That’s always been the deal. Excited for the pitching staff. 

“And offensively, clearly I’m biased, as always, on that side of the ball. But really like this group. I think we’re dynamic, very athletic, and very versatile. So I think trust is going to be a big word as we move these guys around a little bit and figure out what positions work best, how do we mix that with talking to (Director of Baseball Research and Development Zach) Stovall, whether it be matchups and analytics, and how we blend that in to how we attack each game. But also, too, just being real with the players. Make sure they understand, they know what’s going on, on the decision-making side, and they feel like they’re looped into the process. But I’m just excited for this group and really excited to just get a little bit better each day, but I can’t wait to go to war with them this spring.”

If he’s had a chance to speak to Tony Vitello since he was hired

“Coach V’s been amazing throughout this whole process. We FaceTimed shortly after I signed the contract. He was on a plane in Atlanta. It’s just simple. We’ve always — we’re so different and we’ve worked together for so long, but it was just, ‘hey, congratulations. Love you, love you.’ He’s got things to do and let’s move on. 

“So what’s the next task? It’s something we’ve talked about a ton with our players. That’ll be a theme here as well. But again, he took a chance on me. I’ll never take that for granted, but I think right now it’s, hey, he knows I’m focused on this group right here, but I know we’ll link up again plenty of times over the next month, two months, but he’s a lifelong friend and mentor. I will never take what I learned from him for granted.”

If he spoke to the coaches and players about potentially staying if he got the job

“No, I think we just went in with a united front and a singular focus. The only avenue was I was going to go in there and prove that I was the guy for the job. I put all my preparation into the interview process, but I didn’t want to be — I just want to be authentic. That’s it. I want to be comfortable in my own skin and throw my best punch. And if I wasn’t the guy, then so be it. If Danny thought someone was better to lead this program, would 100% understood and supported him every single day. But again, there was some pressure, whatever, but again, I think this is a family here. We talk about it in recruiting. The real roots of all the time that we spend together, that’s not something we take for granted. So it was more so, hey, let’s just go to battle one more time and see where the chips lie after that.”

The greatest lesson he learned from working under Tony Vitello

“Yeah, I think it’s just attacking each day. We never really talked — it may sound crazy — like, hey, we’ve got to win x-amount of games, or win this many championships. It was, do you have good habits and processes, and can you get buy in from the players to get a little bit better each day, and then hold them accountable to be consistent over a long period of time. That’s been our magic here. And then treating people right, teach them how to be a pro, teach them how to recover, know that we have their backs, right? I think the family aspect is something that’s thrown around a ton in recruiting, but I know these guys feel it and then when recruits come in, it’s authentic here. It’s a little bit different and we don’t expect that to change.”

How much it eases his mind that it appears all the players are staying at Tennessee after he got the job

“Yeah, I mean, we take pride in our relationships in recruiting, right? Even when we get a kid committed, it’s just the beginning of an incredible journey. So just to give you a story, we committed Jordan Beck when we just got here, (he’s a) junior in high school. You get to watch him go play. You go through the draft, he ends up turning it down to come to school. You get to grind in the cage, see the guy compete, develop, become a first rounder, and then fast forward two years ago, my wife and I get to go see him play in Yankee Stadium with the Rockies. And then I texted the video to Q (strength coach Quentin Eberhardt). Pretty crazy, he does Q’s pre-game band routine on the field right before the game. So to me, that’s what it’s all about, the relationships and taking care of each other. It really is. But this is the easiest no-brainer of all time. I love this place and just excited to continue this show with the guys.”

What he feels he learned about his Tennessee team with how they handled the situation with Tony Vitello taking the job with the Giants

“Yeah, I just thought the team was incredibly professional last week. I mean, again, there was nobody asking V about it. We were just going through practice as normal as much as we could.”

What it meant to him that so many former Tennessee players were campaigning for him to get the job

“But I was just so flattered and honestly, it made me soft. It was emotional when I saw some of it. So I basically just tried to block it out, right? Because I didn’t want our guys at practice to think something was going on or they were being left out of something. So again, the relationship with these guys standing here and the former players, that’ll never change. I think that’s going to be the root of what we all do here, but I’ll never forget their support and I’ll never take that for granted.”

If the plan with the coaching staff is to roll with what he has, if he’ll reallocate any of the positions

“Yeah, definitely going to lean on administration throughout this process, right? This is the first time I’ve ever done this, but my focus is to take care of the people in the building first, not worry about anything externally. I think we have some of the best people in what they do at their positions, so they need to be taken care of the right way, and that’s my main and sole focus with all the roots we have. I’m just excited because we want stability for these guys in the building.”