Former Tennessee baseball pitching coach Josh Reynolds was announced on June 17 as the new director of pitching performance and baseball analytics at Virginia Tech, marking a swift move for the veteran analyst after his departure from the Volunteers.
Reynolds' exit came just days earlier, on June 4, when Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Elander announced that the program would be moving in a different direction on the pitching side, a decision spurred by a season that saw the Vols' staff post a 4.72 team ERA, its highest since 2013, and rank 49th nationally.
A Strategic Shift in Hokies Baseball
Virginia Tech coach John Szefc, who has known Reynolds for more than 15 years, praised the hire, describing him as one of the best in the business and emphasizing the value of his extensive experience in player development and data‑driven pitching strategies.
At Virginia Tech, Reynolds will work side by side with pitching coach Doug Willey, overseeing the Hokies' staff as they aim to rebound from a season that snapped a five‑year streak of super regional appearances and posted a 6.05 ERA in SEC play, placing tenth in the league.
The Hokies' front office also named East Carolina's Austin Knight as the replacement for Reynolds, a move confirmed on June 6. Knight, who has served as ECU's pitching coach since 2022 and been part of the Pirates' staff since 2020, brings a track record of top‑25 national ERA finishes in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
Knight's ascent reflects a broader trend of programs seeking analytical depth, and his appointment underscores Virginia Tech's commitment to blending traditional coaching with cutting‑edge performance metrics.
The coordinated hiring of Reynolds and Knight signals a decisive pivot for the program, one that could reshape its recruiting narrative and on‑field results in the coming seasons.