Tennessee Volunteers outfielder Reese Chapman is a senior entering the 2026 college baseball season.
In 2025, he reached double figures in home runs for the first time in his career with 13. He also had a .273 batting average and reached a career-high in RBI with 53.
With three years under his belt in Knoxville, Chapman talked about what a leadership role will look like in 2026 as a senior.
“I’m the only guy that’s been there all four years,” he told World Baseball Network. “I want to get everyone on board with a common goal, and that is to win a national championship. Nothing interferes with that goal. I’m fortunate to have a lot of experience through three years at Tennessee.”
Navigating the Coaching Change from Tony Vitello to Josh Elander
Chapman, along with his Tennessee teammates, went through a major change in the program during the fall.
In October, Tony Vitello left his head coaching duties with the Volunteers to be the manager of the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball.
Chapman talked about that historic moment and what the team’s reaction was to the big news surrounding Vitello’s move to the MLB.
“No one knew what was next,” Chapman said. “We knew what we wanted to happen. We didn’t know if that was the path that Danny White [Tennessee Athletic Director] was going to take.”
The move everyone wanted to happen that Chapman referred to was the decision to make associate head coach Josh Elander the head coach. This happened shortly after Vitello left Knoxville.
Chapman and four other teammates actually sat down with White to talk about the decision to make Elander the head coach. The Tennessee team was delighted with the decision.
“I was fortunate enough to sit in with four of my other teammates one-on-one with Danny White,” Chapman stated. “And we heard him out. And then within 24 hours, he hired Elander.”
“That was the best-case scenario,” the Tennessee outfielder added. “Everybody wants to go to war with Elander.”
The Tennessee Team had Comradery in the Face of Uncertainty
During the chaos surrounding the coaching change at Tennessee, Chapman discussed the bonding time the team spent together.
“During that time, we actually got to know one another more than we had the entire fall,” Chapman said. “People came over, and we just sat around a fire telling stories and got to know one another on a deeper level.”
“It built a lot of trust within each other to go and know that Elander’s our guy.”
Up Next for the Tennessee Volunteers
Chapman and the Tennessee Volunteers will begin the 2026 season with a three-game weekend series against the Nicholls Colonels.
That series will be at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville from February 13-15.
NCAA News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Tennessee outfielder Reese Chapman (13) plays East Tennessee in an NCAA baseball game on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
