Tennessee Baseball May Have a Two-Way Gem With Taylor Tracey

Josh Elander talks about Taylor Tracey in recent Tennessee baseball press conference.

Josh Elander fields questions from the media after he was formally introduced as Tennessee’s new baseball coach on October 27, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to take on Nicholls State this upcoming weekend in what could be one of the more important weekend series in the early portion of the season, as this will be Josh Elander's first series as the head baseball coach, along with the chance of seeing what works and what doesn't.

There are many players who could play two ways for the Vols, but what many may not know is that Taylor Tracey could be one of the guys to do just that. This is something that Elander discussed in a recent press conference with the Tennessee media, as he talked about Tracey as a batter and as a pitcher. He discussed what the chances are that Tracey plays both as a pitcher and a batter/fielder.

Take a look.

Tennessee mascot Smokey makes the rounds at Lindsey Nelson Stadium during the NCAA college baseball Knoxville Regional final between Tennessee and Wake Forest on June 2, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taylor Tracey May Play Both Ways

"He does. He does. I mean, Tracey, you know, takes (Brayden) Krenzel deep off the batter's eye the other day. I mean, it's really sneaky power. He's backwards, as we say in the scouting world. He's a right-handed hitter, left-handed pitcher, but just sneaky power. From Texas, there's some good toughness there. Comes from a great family, but (Josh Reynolds) and (Zach) Stovall have done an amazing job with him to get a little bit more vert on the fastball. And again, it's amazing the difference between 14 to 15, and 19 to 20, what that can do to hitters. He actually got hit in the hand with a pitch, so he's working through some of that. We'll hold our breath a little bit, but it's a true two-way talent. There is no doubt."

Tennessee Baseball Preseason Coming to an End

"Yeah, we're just excited to get going. I know the guys — it's been nice how the NCAA has opened it up. We've had a little bit more time. Had to battle the weather a little bit, but had a good weekend. We're able to get outside for three consecutive days, see those guys compete a little bit. But again, the start of the season is here. We're excited. But again, this will be a process where I told the guys, hey, Opening Day is right around the corner, but this needs to be a deal, this is just the beginning of getting better and better as we go through the course of the year, and then eventually get into SEC play."

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