Josh Elander lands another elite bullpen arm for Tennessee baseball

The Josh Elander era got off to a shaky start, but this offseason he has been doing whatever he can to get Tennessee back to Omaha. The Vols have been aggressive in the transfer portal, finding talent to replace what has left Knoxville over the last few weeks.

A familiar Tennessee baseball name is returning to the Major Leagues

As of late, Tennessee has landed two-way star Braydon Kersey from Mercer, Mountain West Freshman of the Year Wyatt Henseler, and elite reliever Brady Trosclair from Northwestern State. Now, Josh Elander could have his biggest addition yet.

Tennessee has landed left-handed reliever Ricky Ojeda, who won the 2025 Big West Pitcher of the Year award. He became the first pitcher from the bullpen in conference history to earn the honor. Ojeda posted 62 strikeouts to just 20 walks last season and finished with a 1.12 WHIP.

Not only is Ojeda a star on the field, but he also has a lot of love for Tennessee. He called it “a bucket list type of thing” to commit to Tennessee, which is something Vol fans love to hear.

Tennessee lands LHP Ricky Ojeda

This is a big pickup for several reasons, but the most important is Tennessee’s need for bullpen help. Last season, the Vols struggled to find consistency out of the bullpen, and now they’ve added another reliable arm to address that weakness. With Brady Trosclair and Ricky Ojeda both joining the roster, Tennessee has brought in two proven relievers who were highly sought after in the transfer portal.

Plus, as mentioned above, with Ojeda winning the Big West Pitcher of the Year award, he has shown that he can compete at a high level against pretty good competition. Being the first to relieve in the Big West to win the award is no small feat. Add that in with in two appearances totaling 5.2 innings against Cal Poly, a team that advanced to the Super Regionals, he allowed just one earned run.

Maybe the biggest part of this addition is that it proves Josh Elander is willing to do whatever it takes to get Tennessee back to Omaha. Making additions like this is a big deal, and with Tennessee having to promote Cam Appenzeller into a starting role on the weekends with Tegan Kuns off to the MLB and Evan Blanco graduating, the Vols needed more reliable arms. They accomplished that and then some.

New pitching coach Austin Knight, whom Tennessee hired from ECU, has played a major part in the revamped bullpen. Players clearly like what he brings from a relationship and developmental standpoint. His track record at ECU shows that he can develop pitchers and prepare them for the pros.

There’s a lot of reason for optimism heading into this upcoming season with all the additions Tennessee has made. The shortcomings of last year’s roster could now become one of its greatest strengths, and Elander is making it his mission to turn Tennessee back into a national championship contender.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow