Vanderbilt’s 2025 baseball season unofficially kicked off on Friday night as Memorial Gymnasium played host to the first-ever VandyFest. Departing from their traditional annual banquet, the team opted for an interactive event for fans with giveaways and player introductions.
Before the event’s programming began, attendees had the chance to enter the “fanzone,” which featured player autographs, meet-and-greets and baseball activities for young fans. Memorial Gymnasium’s concourse buzzed with excitement as fans of all ages lined up to meet head coach Tim Corbin and his team.
SEC broadcaster Andrew Allegretta took the stage to open the event at approximately 7 p.m. CST, displaying a video recap of the team’s fall season and introducing Corbin. Before discussing his own squad, Corbin credited both chancellor Daniel Diermeier and athletic director Candice Storey Lee for their forward thinking and commitment to athletic success. Additionally, he thanked Vanderbilt’s students for their commitment, playfully referencing the school’s multiple court and field stormings this year.
“I see more student involvement — $850,000 worth of it,” Corbin said.
Corbin then sat down with Allegretta and discussed the outlook on the season, emphasizing the importance of senior leadership in guiding a youthful roster.
“There’s a harmony that exists in this group,” Corbin said. “The older kids on the team did a really good job of welcoming the younger kids.”
The player introductions began with the first-years, with each player debuting their walk-up song for the 2025 season as they walked on stage. Corbin praised the class for their maturity and highlighted the importance of keeping recruiting classes intact in building a championship-caliber team.
“You build championship teams by keeping your classes together,” Corbin said.
Corbin also noted that the class’s strong Tennessean presence is crucial for future recruiting efforts. As he moved to the sophomores, Corbin spotlighted arms Brennan Seiber, Miller Green and Ethan McElvain, crediting their 2024 experiences and Team USA participation as crucial for their development. He also spoke highly of Cape Cod league all-star Braden Holcomb, describing improvements to his swing.
“[Holcomb] is a very physical kid,” Corbin said. “He’s got great strength, but the change that he’s made is to be more consistent at the plate. He’s got a flatter swing and wants to put the ball in play more.”
RJ Austin was the focal point of the junior class conversation, with Corbin stressing throughout the night the importance of “playing” baseball rather than “working” baseball — Austin being the prime example of that. Corbin stressed that he will need to lean on Austin as well as southpaw JD Thompson to help the seniors lead an inexperienced roster.
JMU transfer Mike Mancini, who was absent from the event after undergoing an unspecified surgery earlier in the day, was noted as another key contributor at the plate.
Before introducing the senior class, Corbin and Allegretta delivered perhaps the biggest announcement of the night — the unveiling of a brand-new white pinstriped uniform for the 2025 season. The design was met with thunderous applause from the crowd.
Leading the seniors out in the white pinstripes was Jonathan Vastine, who was recently named the top senior in the country by Perfect Game USA. Corbin was effusive in his praise for Vastine, comparing his off-balance throws at shortstop to Patrick Mahomes’ improvisation under center.
“Johnny treats every ball [in practice] like it’s a game repetition,” Corbin said. “He’s a big league shortstop and a pretty good left-handed hitter, too.”
To wrap up the event, Corbin expressed gratitude to the fans, alumni and students for their continuous support, encouraging everyone to be at Hawkins Field for the Commodores’ season opener.
Vanderbilt will begin its 2025 campaign at home on Tuesday, Feb. 18th at 4:30 p.m. CST as it takes on Air Force.
