Latest news with #VanderbiltBaseball
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects to know for 2025 MLB Draft
Vanderbilt baseball has several players likely to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. The Commodores have had at least four players selected in every draft since 2004. In 2024, Vanderbilt did not have a first-round pick for the first time since 2018 but had seven players selected overall, including six in the top 10 rounds. Vanderbilt is likely to see 4-6 players selected from the 2025 roster. Several incoming high school signees could be selected as well. Here are the top names with Commodores ties to watch for: Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects for 2025 MLB Draft LHP JD Thompson MLB Pipeline rank: No. 66 Thompson was seen as a likely second-round pick entering the season and his stock remained there as he put up similar numbers to 2024, albeit this time in a Friday night role. In three seasons with the Commodores, Thompson put up a 4.28 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 164 career innings. In 2025, he tied for seventh nationally with 122 strikeouts. Thompson's fastball, which gets up to 96 mph, is his best pitch, and he's an above-average strike-thrower as well. Most believe Thompson lands in the second round, the same range where teammates Bryce Cunningham and Carter Holton went a year ago. OF RJ Austin MLB Pipeline rank: No. 112 After a strong sophomore season that saw him hit .335 while leading the SEC in stolen bases, Austin regressed in his junior year to numbers more similar to what he put up as a freshman. He hit .257 with just two home runs. The good news is that he proved he can play center field, even winning the Rawlings Gold Glove award in his first year at the position. Although that has hurt Austin's draft stock, most believe that Austin's athleticism and defensive ability will get him selected in the fourth or fifth round. RHP Cody Bowker MLB Pipeline rank: No. 187 Bowker's stock is a bit polarizing, as some analysts see him as worthy of a top-five round pick, while others think he belongs in the back half of the top 10 rounds. After transferring from Georgetown, Bowker had a successful season in Vanderbilt's rotation. He took every turn in the rotation and had a 4.38 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 72 innings. His fastball is his best pitch, getting up to 95 mph from a low arm slot. But he had trouble going deep into games, as he completed five innings in just five of his 16 starts. RHP Sawyer Hawks MLB Pipeline rank: No. 225 Hawks is an under-the-radar prospect despite receiving multiple All-American nods after a season in which he had a 1.60 ERA, a 4-0 record and eight saves in 18 appearances, with a 59-11 strikeout to walk ratio. After transferring from Air Force, then missing most of 2024 with injury, Hawks remade his pitch mix in 2025 to include a fastball, slider and changeup along with his curve. He likely fits in rounds 6-10. 1B Riley Nelson MLB Pipeline rank: Unranked Nelson has a decision to make, as there will certainly be pro teams interested in him, but will they be interested enough to buy him out of a senior year? Nelson was Vanderbilt's best hitter in 2025, hitting .344 with a 34:36 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and he performed just as well in SEC play. But he doesn't have big power (eight home runs) and MLB teams often shy away from first basemen without double-digit homers. ROSTER RESET What Tim Corbin's 2026 Vanderbilt baseball roster looks like before MLB draft, after transfer portal deadline Top 2025 MLB Draft prospects among Vanderbilt baseball signees RHP Seth Hernandez MLB Pipeline rank: No. 3 Hernandez, a pitcher whose fastball touches 98 mph, is seen by some as a top-five talent and by others as a mid-first rounder. Either way, Hernandez won't make it to campus, barring an unexpected development. OF Slater de Brun MLB Pipeline rank: No. 24 de Brun is a 5-foot-9 center fielder who projects as a leadoff profile. He's a spark plug type that Vanderbilt has traditionally loved, but the pros love him too, and he's seen as a likely first-round pick. If he does go in the first round, he won't make it to campus. OF Sean Gamble MLB Pipeline rank: No. 27 Gamble is already 19 and is seen as being less polished than some of the other top high-school prospects, so he has a lower draft stock than de Brun and thus more likelihood of going to school. However, some still view Gamble as a first-round pick. SS Cooper Flemming MLB Pipeline rank: No. 82 Through most of the spring, Flemming has been viewed as likely to go to school, but he's risen late up draft boards with some even believing he could go in the first round. He's a 6-3, left-handed hitting shortstop, but he needs to add weight to become the best version of himself. LHP Talon Haley MLB Pipeline rank: No. 91 Haley is a polished left-hander with a low-90s fastball and a good curveball, but he is one of the oldest high-school prospects in the class and has an extreme injury history. He's a second- or third-rounder on talent, but age and concerns about the medicals could lead teams to shy away. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball MLB Draft prospects to know for 2025
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tracking Vanderbilt baseball players, signees picked in 2025 MLB Draft
Vanderbilt baseball figures to have several players selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, along with likely multiple high school signees who will be picked. At least four Commodores have been selected in every draft since 2004, and the program's 151 total draft picks over the past 20 years are the most of any college program. Advertisement Vanderbilt's top draft prospects are JD Thompson and RJ Austin. Other players who could get selected include Cody Bowker, Sawyer Hawks, Riley Nelson and Levi Huesman. Players selected in the top 10 rounds are highly likely to sign with the teams that drafted them, while those drafted outside the top 10 rounds sometimes choose not to sign. The 2025 MLB Draft will be 20 rounds held over two days, down from the three days it has typically occupied. Day 1 on July 13 (5 p.m. CT, ESPN and MLB Network) consists of the first three rounds, while rounds 4-20 will take place July 14 (10:30 a.m. CT, Top prospects Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects to know for 2025 MLB Draft Advertisement Here are all the Vanderbilt players and signees selected. This story will be updated. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball: Tracking Commodores players, signees in 2025 MLB Draft
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tim Corbin hiring former Vanderbilt baseball player Jason Esposito as third hitting coach in 3 years
Vanderbilt baseball is hiring Jason Esposito to be its new hitting coach, according to a report from Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball. Esposito has been a hitting coach with various titles in the Cleveland Guardians organization since 2017. He most recently was the assistant hitting coach for the major league team after previously serving as a run production coordinator and before that worked in the minor league system. Advertisement He played for the Commodores from 2009-11 and was a second-round draft pick of the Orioles in 2011, spending five seasons playing in the minors before retiring. Esposito will be Vanderbilt's third hitting coach in three years as the Commodores fired Mike Baxter after the 2024 season, then brought in former Dayton coach Jayson King. King left after one season. TRANSFER TRACKER Vanderbilt baseball transfer tracker 2025: Who is joining, leaving Commodores via portal Vanderbilt has finished in the bottom five of the SEC in runs scored per game in each of the last four seasons and has lost in the regional round in each of those seasons. The Commodores have not even made it to a regional final since 2022 despite hosting two of the three regionals since, and lack of offense has been the primary culprit. Advertisement Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball: Jason Esposito hired as hitting coach | Reports
New York Times
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Vanderbilt baseball becomes first No. 1 overall seed to not make a regional final
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tim Corbin's second Vanderbilt baseball team to enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed became arguably his biggest tournament disappointment — perhaps the biggest tournament disappointment. Vanderbilt is the first No. 1 seed to not reach a regional final after falling 5-4 to Nashville Regional No. 4 seed Wright State at Hawkins Field. The Commodores (43-18) lost two of three games on their home field, managing 10 runs and a .132 average in those games. They had to come back late to beat Wright State (40-20) in the opener before falling to Louisville on Saturday — it's Louisville and Wright State for a spot in the super regionals — and Vanderbilt led for just one of the 27 innings it played. Advertisement Miami in 1999 and Tennessee in 2024 are the only No. 1 seeds to win the College World Series. Vanderbilt in 2025 is the No. 1 seed that was furthest from doing so. 'I think they're all surprising when you lose,' Corbin said when asked if this is his biggest tournament disappointment. 'When you're out, you're out. There hasn't been a day when we've been out of the tournament where I don't feel the same way. Right now, at this moment, I feel great about the effort and how hard we played. I just wish the outcome was different for the boys. That stings. But that's the nature of the game. It's cruel. It can be cruel.' Florida and No. 7 seed Georgia also were eliminated Sunday as part of a tough start for the SEC in this tournament, but Vanderbilt's misery stands out. Corbin, a national champion in 2014 and 2019, has failed to reach the second weekend of this tournament for the fourth straight year after coming within one win of the national title in 2021. This was not a dominant No. 1 overall seed, not like his David Price-led 2007 team that was upset by Michigan in a regional final. But it was a team on a tear, strong defensively and on the mound all season, then adding offensive punch in the latter stages of the season to win the SEC Tournament and become a serious threat for Omaha. But like the No. 6 seed Vanderbilt team of 2023, it came up small at the plate when the pressure was on. Corbin snapped at a reporter Saturday night for asking about the offensive struggles after the 3-2 loss to Louisville, but acknowledged the issues in an emotional presser Sunday and said: 'I just felt like I didn't equip (my players) properly in some way.' 'We just didn't find the holes,' said Vandy designated hitter Mike Mancini, who sparked a ninth-inning rally and would have scored the tying run on a Rustan Rigdon double — but the ball bounced into the stands in right center, forcing Mancini to stay at third. Advertisement He was still at third as RJ Austin flew out to end the game. Wright State lefty starter Griffen Paige came into the game with an 8.90 earned-run average but completely dominated the Commodores, holding them to a single hit in eight innings. Corbin said he believed this season helped his program take a step forward after a dip that has coincided with rival Tennessee's rise. But narratives in this sport are almost exclusively created in the postseason. 'I don't take anything for granted, I don't need a damn life scare to appreciate what I'm doing every day,' Corbin said. 'But you get to the ballpark, get to the yard every day and put on the pants, then the next week you put on the pants and no one is there. The locker room is cleaned out. It's a heavy, heavy hit. … It's just really, really tough. Really tough. It maxes you out.'
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Vanderbilt earns No. 1 seed in NCAA baseball tournament; record 13 SEC teams are in 64-team field
OMAHA, Neb. — Vanderbilt, which gave up just three runs over three games in the SEC Tournament, was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament on Monday and was among a record 13 teams from the conference to be selected to the 64-team field. The tournament opens Friday with 16 double-elimination regionals. Winners advance to eight best-of-three super regionals. Those winners move on to the College World Series in Omaha beginning June 13.
