It has been a long off-season for the Tennessee baseball program. The Vols lost their national title-winning head coach, Tony Vitello, to the San Francisco Giants. Vitello led the Vols to multiple appearances in Omaha and won the school's only national championship.
Josh Elander now takes over, and he has an impressive resume as an assistant at Tennessee. Elander is known to be a great recruiter and was a vital part in helping build the Vols into a national powerhouse with Vitello.
Elander has big shoes to fill, and the pressure is on from the start. Perfect Game just released their preseason top-25, and the Vols earned a very high ranking.
2026 Preseason College Baseball Top 25 📈https://t.co/M8pJBw6Qmx pic.twitter.com/k4EuJx1NQU
— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) January 8, 2026
Tennessee baseball is the preseason No. 3
The Vols once again are national title contenders. Tennessee is the second-highest ranked of nine SEC schools, once again showing the conference's depth. Elanders' recruiting has also paid off, as two offseason adds have already received significant accolades.
Tennessee's new first baseman, Henry Ford, was also named as a First Team Preseason All-American. In 2025, Ford had a .992 OPS with 11 homers and 46 RBIs. Another nice thing about Ford is his ability to put the ball in play. He had only 30 strikeouts in 231 plate appearances.
Brady Frederick was named as a Third-Team All-American. The East Tennessee State righty pitched in 24 games and 77.2 innings last year. He had a 2.67 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Because of his ability to coinsistently throw strikes, Frederick will be a significant addition to the Vols' bullpen this season.
Tennessee opens up 2026 with a home game against Nicholls on February 13th. The season can't come soon enough, as the Vols have a real shot at reaching Omaha again.