Everything Josh Elander said on Tennessee baseball prior to the Chapel Hill Regional

Tennessee baseball coach Josh Elander met with members of the local media on Wednesday to preview the Chapel Hill Regional.

The Vols, who are the No. 2 seed in the regional, will play their first game versus No. 3 seed East Carolina will be on Friday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPNU. North Carolina is the host team in the regional after being picked as the No. 5 overall seed in the field. VCU is the No. 4 seed.

The following is video and a written transcript from the Josh Elander Wednesday press conference.

On if anything changes being the head coach entering the regional…

“I think we’re just grateful to be able to get back in the dance. You’re in the postseason, you’ve got a chance, and wasn’t the smoothest sailing early in SEC play, but really proud about how our guys, how they stayed in it, and a really good finish to SEC play, so again this time of year anything can happen. So we’re excited for the next challenge.”

On if he finds it ironic that they’re going back to Chapel Hill after playing there in 2019…

“Yeah, that’s a great question. It is kind of ironic that, of course, it’s there. I mean, it’s a good ballpark, and just talking to some other coaches from the ACC is how was it playing then versus (now) because I remember it playing really offensive during the day. Remember Connor Pavolony hitting an oppo grandslam, and I think Andre Lipcius hit a big homer versus Liberty to go ahead. So some good memories there, and again, we were just fighting, scratching, clawing and trying to win games. And that was a big moment for our program back then, and I remember there was a big gap on the wall between when we got to the postseason. I saw the picture in my office of that whole crew together. That was a big deal when we got there the first time. So now it’s same deal, just competition. It’s funny, regardless of home, road, it seems like every year we play an ACC school at some point, whether we’re at home or on the road in the NCAA Tournament, so just excited for the challenge, our guys to get out there and compete.”

On what the experiences of the 2019 regional did for the program over the next few years…

“Well, I think a lot of it was just like belief. I think that was the one thing we talked about, just mindset and conviction, and the way we went about our business needed to change when we got here, and that was a tangible thing, as, ‘hey, we’re in the dance,’ and I remember it was a big deal talking with Frank back then. It was, we got to 40 wins, and the way we got there that year was, I remember, it was bases loaded Redmond Walsh is on the mound. I think it was a line drive to Redmond, or some crazy double play, end up getting out of the inning. So, again, there’s a lot of things we can look back on, but it’s a long time ago, now, since we were there. This is a completely new team. It’s a great challenge with the clubs that we’re going to be playing against, but I think one thing I sent the guys last night was just kind of a regional cheat sheet of things we wish we knew with our coaching staff when we played or coached in them, just to try to get them out to a good footing because for some of these guys it’ll be their first time in a regional.”

On who will start in game one against East Carolina…

“We’re going to go with Evan Blanco game one, and everybody will be available for every game, but Blanco will lead us out of the game.”

On why Blanco was the choice in game one…

“Yeah, I think really just, I mean, there’s a lot of things that went into it. It’s something we deliberated, but I think you go back to when we recruited Evan Blanco and the recruiting process, a big thing was the maturity and the strike throwing, but also, two, he’s pitched in the College World Series, he’s pitched in the postseason. That’s not a discredit to anybody else on our staff, but again, everybody will be available. You got to win the game that you’re at. But Blanco is in a good spot, and I know he wasn’t happy with how his last outing went, so he’s put in the work. He’s been a madman around the building, getting ready for this next start.”

On if there is a sense of urgency to stay hot on offense for regional play and that setup…

“I think so. Each game is mutually exclusive, how you go about it. They can be high scoring, low scoring. We’ve seen some crazy stuff. Remember the game at Clemson (2023) where we played to 16 innings? Or the Wright State game (2021). There’s a lot of different ways the game can go, but traditionally this time of year, it can get pretty offensive. It really can, especially as you get later into the tournament. But our offense has been swinging the bat well. It’s good to see Levi (Clark) and how these guys have come along. If you go off the full sample size of the year, and Trent (Grindlinger), you know how great he’s been adding him into the mix. But there’s a lot of different ways you can win. You just got to be ready for any kind of challenge.”

On how ECU has been playing…

“Yeah, they’re playing great. They just won their tournament, beat a really good UTSA team. Growing up in Texas, that was always a really scrappy, really talented group. I know those are two great programs. More than capable. There’s a former SEC coach on staff. I remember just all the years running around on the road, seeing Cliff (Godwin), and the recruiting guy out working their tails off. I believe they’ve been to the postseason eight years in-a-row, so it’s a team that’s littered with experience and not afraid of any challenges. So really, the whole group, it’s a dangerous.”

On if Reese Chapman will have any limitations during the Chapel Hill Regional…

“No, Reese will be full go. So, we’re definitely very excited about that. He’s really grinding through. I think a huge credit to Dr. (Chris) Klenck and Woody (Jeff Wood) and the people down at UAB for how they handle that situation. Even our admin, just getting him to and from and the people in town because (it was) a pretty scary moment. But I’m excited to see Reese rocking and rolling. We’ll see if he rolls with the Batman mask or not out there. That’s the one thing left to see. But I’m just pretty damn excited to see him back out there again.”

On ECU starting LHP Ryan Towers…

“Just a high-handed lefty, kind of a different look. He can do some different things. Can cut it, slide it, throw some changeups. Just kind of diving into the video, looks like a rider (where) right handers are missing underneath the baseball (and) popping up into right field. It’s a really capable group. They’re really talented pitching staff. I know Chuck (Jeroloman) and I and (Zack) Stovall have already been kind of diving into that. So, we’ll get with the guys and have a good plan. But this time of year, it doesn’t matter you’re playing home (or) road, anybody can win any game. But also, if you’re in the tournament, you got a chance and you’re a pretty dang good team. You’ve probably been through some adversity and now it’s about just competing when everything is on the line, which I know everybody’s excited for.”

On if Landon Mack will be full-go this weekend or if he will be limited in some capacity…

“Landon is still going through his progression. He will be on the roster, kind of the same deal down as Hoover. So, he’s going to be kind of a day to day deal. I know I had some good conversations with him yesterday, just guy to guy right there, and I know Woody’s (Jeff Wood) been working with him. So, ultimately, it’ll be where is his health and where is his camp feel and what our doctors say? We’ll see how it is. But he will be on the roster this weekend.”

On the message to the offense as they enter the Chapel Hill Regional…

“I think the first one is we face some pretty dang good lefties throughout the year and we’ve had some success. They’re all a little different, if you look at (Dylan) Volantis or (Ryan) Towers, they’re all different. There’s ways to get them and then you got to adjust. There’s the preparation point and then there’s the competition point. And then my favorite thing is the adjustment throughout the game. What are they doing? How they’re trying to get us out? Are the guys reading the game? I think that’s what our staff does a good job of having our guys navigate their at-bats from pitch to pitch, or at bats at bat. There’s a lot of different ways to go about it. But this time of year it’s very simple: dominate the fundamentals, communicate, string together quality at-bats and understand and respect the game can change on a dime at any point.”

If Landon Mack has thrown a bullpen this week…

“Yeah, he’s been throwing all week.”

On what it means to him to make the NCAA Tournament in his first year as a head coach…

“At this point, with this club, just proud of it. I saw — somebody sent me a deal — like half the teams that were in Omaha last year, are not even in the postseason, which is wild to think about. If you just look at the parity across college baseball and some championship-level programs that are not in the dance, I think everybody in our league specifically respects how hard it is to get in the postseason with how competitive it is. But all over the country, I know there’s some teams that win 40-plus games that aren’t in the tournament. Anytime you get a chance to get in the dance, there’s a lot of different stories where — obviously what Mississippi did a few years back. I know the narrative when we were here a few times, we’re the one seed, you can’t win. You know, you don’t do that, so this time of year it’s about controlling the noise and attacking the next game, and making sure, like, the challenge is, ‘Hey, how do you make sure you’re focused throughout the game?’ Because you think, ‘okay, we win this game, we do that, or lose this game, we do that.’ It’s, you have to be hyper-focused on the next task and being where your feet are. That’s something we’ve harped on a lot around here.”

On what needs to be different for Vols senior LHP Evan Blanco in the first inning against East Carolina after he’s struggled at the beginning of his starts recently…

“Well, he needs to not give up some runs. That’d be a good start. I think he knows that. I think the big (thing) — in a weird way — in Hoover, it’s obviously very humid down there in Alabama, so he’s rolling through, (didn’t have an) undershirt (on), was sweating like crazy. I think it created some adversity on landing the breaking ball, and it was leaving it up and just finishing the pitch. For him, he can really spin two breakers, the change, and there’s good competitiveness.

“We’ll have a system to make sure he’s in a good spot, where he’s not throwing basically spit balls at the batters that are hanging up in the middle, but again, he’ll make adjustments. That’s what he does. He’s going to compete, and the other thing, too, is I have no issue — there’s going to be times he’s going to give up homers. Everybody in our league, no matter how good the stuff is, they’re going to give up homers, but the key is to not — the free passes around, before, or prior to are the ones that can get you in trouble, but I’m just excited to watch him compete. I know he’ll be ready.”

On Tony Vitello telling San Francisco Giants media that Tennessee has a good chance to win the Chapel Hill Regional because of UT’s coaching staff…

“That’s good to hear. Again, his fingerprints are still all over this program, especially this roster this year, and I know those guys are grinding through. I got a text from Frank (Anderson) for the first time in a while, so that was good to see. But wish those guys nothing but the best down the stretch, and I know that — we talk about 56 (games) and the course of a long season, but I know 162, that’s a different animal over there. But wishing them nothing but the best down the stretch.”

On if he likes the people aren’t expecting Tennessee to win the Chapel Hill Regional or a super regional…

“Well, I think that’s the only way you should want it as a competitor. Let’s go best versus best and figure out what’s what. I know it’s some great programs with North Carolina and VCU and ECU, everybody’s capable, but that’s what you want, and you’re going to figure out. But the game is not played on paper. The game is played between the lines and is won by players, and I’m excited, because this time of year we’ve always said, ‘hey, we’re handing you the keys to the car, we’ll let you guys drive it,’ so I’m excited to see how our guys compete.”

On if he anticipates lefty pitchers Brandon Arvidson and Cameron Appenzeller being able to pitch multiple times during the regional…

“Yes.”