Opening day of Tennessee’s baseball season is scheduled for Feb. 13 against Nicholls State at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
2026 will be the Vols’ first season under head coach Josh Elander. He succeeds Tony Vitello, who was hired as the head coach of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco team.
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“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity atop the Rockies,” Elander said when he was introduced as Tennessee’s head coach. “I’m really excited for our players to continue to build on the foundation we’ve established. The hunt continues and we’re still excited. Love this place and these guys. So grateful for the best of everything to come.”
Elander will serve as Tennessee’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator from 2022-25 while serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Vols under Vitlow from 2018-22.
More: 2026 Tennessee Baseball Schedule
The USA TODAY Sports preseason baseball coaches poll was released on Tuesday. Tennessee is ranked 15th.
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2026 USA TODAY Sports Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll
|
rank |
team |
Record |
PTS |
first place |
Previous article |
Change |
high/low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Louisiana State University |
0-0 |
Chapter 733 |
15 |
NR |
– |
1/1 |
|
2 |
UCLA |
0-0 |
Chapter 724 |
14 |
NR |
– |
2/2 |
|
3 |
Texas |
0-0 |
Chapter 635 |
0 |
NR |
– |
3/3 |
|
4 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
0-0 |
Chapter 596 |
0 |
NR |
– |
4/4 |
|
5 |
Arkansas |
0-0 |
Chapter 582 |
0 |
NR |
– |
5/5 |
|
6 |
mississippi |
0-0 |
Chapter 574 |
1 |
NR |
– |
6/6 |
|
7 |
coastal carolina |
0-0 |
503 |
0 |
NR |
– |
7/7 |
|
8 |
North Carolina |
0-0 |
Chapter 490 |
0 |
NR |
– |
8/8 |
|
9 |
Auburn |
0-0 |
Chapter 462 |
0 |
NR |
– |
9/9 |
|
10 |
TCCU |
0-0 |
Chapter 449 |
0 |
NR |
– |
10/10 |
|
11 |
Louisville |
0-0 |
Chapter 438 |
0 |
NR |
– |
11/11 |
|
12 |
oregon |
0-0 |
Chapter 429 |
0 |
NR |
– |
12/12 |
|
13 |
Georgia |
0-0 |
400 |
0 |
NR |
– |
13/13 |
|
14 |
Florida |
0-0 |
Chapter 391 |
0 |
NR |
– |
14/14 |
|
15 |
tennessee |
0-0 |
Chapter 384 |
0 |
NR |
– |
15/15 |
|
16 |
Florida |
0-0 |
269 |
0 |
NR |
– |
16/16 |
|
No. 17 |
Clemson |
0-0 |
236 |
0 |
NR |
– |
17/17 |
|
18 |
Vanderbilt |
0-0 |
203 |
0 |
NR |
– |
18/18 |
|
19 |
North Carolina |
0-0 |
181 |
0 |
NR |
– |
19/19 |
|
20 |
southern miss |
0-0 |
154 |
0 |
NR |
– |
20/20 |
|
twenty one |
Miami (Florida) |
0-0 |
140 |
0 |
NR |
– |
21/21 |
|
twenty two |
virginia |
0-0 |
101 |
0 |
NR |
– |
22/22 |
|
twenty three |
oregon |
0-0 |
100 |
0 |
NR |
– |
23/23 |
|
twenty four |
Arizona |
0-0 |
98 |
0 |
NR |
– |
24/24 |
|
25 |
wake forest university |
0-0 |
93 |
0 |
NR |
– |
25/25 |
Others who received votes
Kentucky 92; Ole Miss 59; West Virginia 42; Texas A&M 38; Oklahoma 28; East Carolina 25; Dallas Baptist 19; UC Irvine 13; Kansas State 11; Murray State 7; Arizona State 7; USC 6; UC Santa Barbara 6; Duke 6; Alabama 6; Troy 5; Oklahoma State 5; UTSA 4; Northeast 2; Nebraska 1; Connecticut 1; Cal State Fullerton 1; Bethune-Cookman 1
voters list
The USA TODAY Sports Coaches Council is composed of 30 coaches from Division I institutions. They are both members of the American Baseball Coaches Association. 2026 Board of Directors: Mik Aoki, Richmond; Blake Beamer, Butler; Andrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara; Jim Chester, Gardner-Webb; Reggie Christiansen, Sacramento State; Ryan Coe Coe, Kennesaw State; Terry Davis, Western Illinois; Jeff Forehand, Lipscomb; Craig Gibson, Mercer; Justin Hale, Ohio State; Brian Hamm, Yale; Charlie Hickey Hickey, Central Connecticut State; Josh Holliday, Oklahoma State; Randy Hood, UNC-Wilmington; Todd Indonato, Boston College; Omar Johnson, Jackson State; Ed Kahovik, Holy Cross; Ryan Klosterman, Bryant; Jeff Loomis, Portland; Scott Malone Malone, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Matt Mazurek, Canisius; John McCormack, Florida Atlantic; Evan Porter, Omaha, Neb.; Sherman Reed, Coppin State; Jake Sabol, Central Michigan; Kevin Schnall, Coastal Carolina; Dan Skirka, Murray State; Alex Sogard Sogard, Wright State; Stan Stolte, UNLV; Butch Thompson, Auburn.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Tennessee Baseball’s 2026 Preseason Top 25 Rankings
