What Tennessee Baseball Coach Josh Elander Said About Manny Marin and Levi Clark

Josh Elander comments on the importance of Manny Marin and Levi Clark.

Tennessee assistant head coach Josh Elander during a college baseball game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 9, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Manny Marin and Levi Clark are some of the better returning stars for the Tennessee baseball program. Clark and Marin are returning and will have a bigger role with the Vols, as the new season approaching leads many to believe they will be A+ players.

Josh Elander commented on the players during a press conference this week. Here is what he said.

Manny Marin and Levi Clark's Importance

Tennessee's Manny Marin (4) celebrates after hitting a home run at the NCAA college baseball Knoxville Regional final against Wake Forest on June 2, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Well, that's what you hope as a coaching staff, that those guys make a jump. Usually, it's between freshman and sophomore year. Manny, the one thing I talk with him about is like, if you're going to play in the middle of the field, you need to run the show. You need to over-communicate it. Also, we need to tell him, like, 'Hey, be quiet. You're talking too much.' So really, that's never going to happen, but he's done a great job just kind of commanding the field. And then Levi has been awesome, balancing catching and playing first. I think guys respect those guys because they've played in the league. They know what it's like, but they also were very lucky, where some of our better players are some of our best people, too. It's easy for our young guys to have an example to look up to. And in our program, we always talk about competition is king. Internal should be every single day. There's somebody right next to you, behind you, in front of you, that's capable of doing it at the same level, but at the same time, those guys have been great teammates and making sure this freshman class that is really talented, bringing those guys along too, and making sure they're getting better along the way."

Tennessee Baseball's Preseason Is Closing

"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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