Tennessee Expected to Hire East Carolina Pitching Coach Austin Knight
Image: Ryan Beatty/Tennessee Athletics
By Aidan Sidoti
KNOXVILLE – Tennessee is expected to hire East Carolina pitching coach Austin Knight in the same role, as first reported by Russell Smith and William Patteson of Fox Sports Knoxville.
Knight spent the last five seasons leading the Pirates’ pitching staff and will replace Josh Reynolds, who was dismissed after one season as Tennessee’s pitching coach.
Knight brings a strong track record to Knoxville. East Carolina won four of the last five American Conference regular season titles under his direction, made the NCAA Tournament each year, and reached a super regional in 2022. His 2024 staff was one of the best of his tenure, producing two All-Americans and three MLB Draft picks, including first rounder Trey Yesavage, who went No. 20 overall to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Across his five seasons in Greenville, Knight developed seven MLB Draft selections and exits following a 38-24-1 campaign in which the Pirates beat Tennessee in the opening round of the Chapel Hill Regional before falling to No. 5 North Carolina in the regional final.
