It appears as though Tennessee head coach Josh Elander isn’t shy about making moves that he feels are necessary to improve his program.
Per multiple outlets on Thursday, Elander fired pitching coach Josh Reynolds after just one season in the role and two with the program.
Reynolds was hired by Tony Vitello and held the role of Tennessee’s Director of Baseball Operations and Pitching Performance in 2025. After Vitello left for the San Francisco Giants in November 2025, he was promoted to the role of pitching coach by Elander, replacing Frank Anderson, who went to the Bay Area with Vitello.
Unfortunately, it’s a results-based business, and the Vols’ pitching, in particular its bullpen, was not good enough throughout the season. Tennessee got good work out of the pen from Cam Appenzeller, Brandon Arvidson, and Bo Rhudy, but the pitching was not nearly up to par from what we’ve seen during the Vitello years. The team ERA of 4.76 was the program’s highest mark in 13 years.
Now, Elander is in a spot to where he really needs to make a good hire. There’s no doubt this is his program now, and he needs to find a way to get more production out of the pitching staff and bullpen that he’s able to assemble for an important 2027 season.
