One dream that Tennessee baseball fans have for this offseason is unlikely to happen for Josh Elander’s program
Josh Elander and the Tennessee Volunteers hired a new pitching coach over the weekend, and some UT baseball fans are hoping that it means another big addition is on the way.
Tennessee Vols baseball coach Josh Elander took care of an important offseason task over the weekend by hiring ECU pitching coach Austin Knight to replace Josh Reynolds.
Elander and the Vols parted ways with Reynolds last week after Tennessee posted its worst team ERA in a season since 2013.
Some Tennessee Vols fans are hoping new pitching coach Austin Knight brings an ECU Pirates star along with him to Knoxville
As soon as news broke that Knight had been hired by Tennessee, some Vols fans got their hopes up that he will bring ECU LHP Ethan Norby to Knoxville.
Norby, the younger brother of Miami Marlins infielder Connor Norby, finished the 2026 season with a 4.08 ERA in 18 games (14 starts).
The former East Forsyth High School standout pitched 4.2 innings against Tennessee in the Chapel Hill Regional last month, striking out eight while allowing just one earned run in the win over the Vols.
Norby has another season of eligibility remaining, so he could enter the portal if he chooses.
The expectation, though, is that Norby will be selected in the 2026 MLB Draft.
ESPN currently has Norby, who is originally from Minnesota, ranked as the No. 60 overall prospect for the draft.
It seems unlikely that a player would pass up being a second or third round pick in the draft to return to college for their senior season — especially an undersized pitcher (5-foot-10) like Norby, who has been described as a “gamer.”
We’re in a new era of college sports, so there’s not much precedent for these types of decisions. But it’s hard to imagine Norby passing up a chance to achieve his lifelong goal of getting to the big leagues to spend another season in college.