The 2025 college baseball season is upon us. Vanderbilt Baseball will make its official return to the diamond at the MLB Desert Invitational from Feb. 14–16. The Commodores will look to rebound after a disappointing 2024 season that saw them finish 38-23 (13-17 SEC), their worst conference record since the 2009 season. 

The Commodores’ bats struggled to generate power all last season. They ranked fifth in the SEC in batting average (.286) but finished with just 72 home runs, 13th in the SEC. Head coach Tim Corbin recruited several bats in the portal and out of high school — including Mike Mancini, Brodie Johnston and Riley Nelson — to help fix that problem. The team’s batting order has plenty of question marks but lots of potential, and our staff takes a stab at who will be starting where. 

First base – Riley Nelson

First base remained largely in flux for Vanderbilt last season, but Nelson, a transfer from Yavapai College in Arizona, has the chance to provide some much-needed stability to the position. The 6’3 slugger dominated the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference last season, slashing .412/.495/.788 en route to becoming the first JUCO transfer to join the VandyBoys since Javier Vaz in 2020. He also tied for the ACCAC lead in home runs with 13, displaying an element of power that has been sorely lacking on the last few Vanderbilt teams. While it remains to be seen how Nelson’s bat will translate to college baseball’s highest level, the early returns are promising. Not only did he bat .330 in the MLB Draft League last summer, but he also recorded two singles and a double during the team’s opening double-header against Tennessee Tech this fall.

– Luke Rollfinke, Senior Staff Writer

Second base – Jayden Davis 

Jayden Davis likely represents the most impressive offseason move the Commodores made in 2023, plucking him from Samford in the transfer portal. The 5’10 junior is a Tennessee native who spent his high school years at Cookeville as the top-ranked shortstop in all of Tennessee where he earned a 9/10 ranking on Perfect Game. His dominance continued at Samford where he led the team in both batting average and hits — including a program-record 30-game hit streak — on the way to a Southern Conference championship. Last year, as he transitioned to the SEC, he didn’t miss a stride. In his sophomore season, Davis hit .315 with 36 RBIs and played tremendously at second base. Legendary MLB executive Billy Beane would be proud — this kid gets on base. Expect Davis to, once again, provide great at-bats and flash some leather in his heightened role, emerging as a team leader in due time and, likely, earning some SEC Player of the Week nods along the way.

– Connor Campbell, Senior Staff Writer

Shortstop – Jonathan Vastine

Jonathan Vastine is one of the best defensive shortstops in the nation — and maybe even one of the best players, period, according to Perfect Game, who rated him as the best senior in Division I. The veteran offers a consistent glove at shortstop; he has only committed 15 errors in 152 career games played. The Florida native was also named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award last year, presented to the best shortstop in college baseball. Some theorized that Vastine went undrafted last year due to concerns over his power, but Vastine has shown consistent improvement each year in both contact and power. The lefty batter’s average rose from .196 his first year to .287 his sophomore season and again to .299 his junior year. Additionally, his home run total doubled between his sophomore and junior seasons, from 5 to 10 — the second-best tally on the team. There should be no concerns that Vastine will improve across the board for his last dance.

– Vincent Xu, Deputy Sports Editor

Third base – Brodie Johnston

First-year Johnston — a 6’2, 203-pound Tennessee native — is slated to make an immediate impact for the VandyBoys. He’s currently dealing with a minor injury but should make his way back into the team’s lineup before SEC play. The highly-touted high school recruit was ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 20 shortstop and the No. 75 overall prospect nationally. In the Collegiate Appalachian League — a wooden bat league — Johnston turned heads by posting 47 RBI, 17 extra-base hits and 5 home runs. One of those home runs in the Appalachian League All-Star Game went 369 feet on a 106.9 exit velocity. He continued to impress this fall, hitting three home runs during October scrimmages. Johnston is also impressive on the field, with a great arm and composure. The consensus on the first-year player is high, with D1 Baseball ranking him the 14th-best third baseman in all of college baseball and Baseball America predicting him to be the SEC Freshman of the Year. If Johnston even relatively reaches that ceiling, he could be the missing piece the VandyBoys need to get back to Omaha.

– Grace Hall, Deputy Sports Editor

Left field – JD Rogers / Jacob Humphrey 

JD Rogers is an inexperienced player — he has only played in 27 games and has posted just 21 at-bats in his career. The lefty decided to stick it out on West End and wait for his senior season, and he looks poised to reap the benefits in 2025. The senior out of Carmel, Indiana, has shown some ability at the plate throughout his career (he went 5-for-15 with a home run in 2024) and should get a chance to prove his ability further this year. 

Jacob Humphrey is the only other guy who could (and likely will) take some playing time away from Rogers. Humphrey is a different archetype from Rogers; he joined Vanderbilt last year after spending two dominant seasons playing with UMass Lowell. He appeared in 40 games and had 10 hits in 44 at-bats but flashed power with two home runs as well. He’s a righty, which likely means he’ll get time against lefty pitchers as Rogers starts against righties. 

– Aiden Rutman, Sports Editor

Center field – RJ Austin

RJ Austin returns to Vanderbilt for his third year after a breakout 2024 season in which he was one of Vanderbilt’s leading offensive contributors. After hitting .335 with a .402 OBP last year, along with stealing 28 bases, he has solidified himself as one of the best contact hitters in the SEC. He’s already been named a preseason All-American by Baseball America and looks to build off his impressive resume, which includes an SEC Tournament MVP from 2023. Austin has played all over the field in his time at Vanderbilt, primarily starting at second base in 2023 before shifting to first base in 2024 due to team injuries. This year, he’ll be starting in center field, where he can continue to showcase his defensive ability after starting in the outfield throughout his whole summer in the Cape Cod League. This fall, a shoulder injury kept Austin largely out of the picture, but he should be ready for the spring. The junior’s consistency, offensive prowess, defensive ability and leadership make him one of Vanderbilt’s most important veterans returning this season.

– Nolawi Solomon, Staff Writer

Right field – Braden Holcomb 

Braden Holcomb’s impressive inaugural season on West End has him positioned as the clear choice for the starting right field job in 2025. Though Holcomb slugged .466 in 35 games last year, his 36% strikeout rate was unsustainable for an everyday player, explaining his semi-limited role. However, an offseason stint in the Cape Cod League — where he earned all-star honors — helped Holcomb refine his approach at the plate. He’s developed a flatter swing designed to increase contact and reduce whiffs. The results were evident: Holcomb hit over .300 and trimmed his strike-out rate to below 30% in the Cape. After Troy LaNeve and Calvin Hewett’s departures, ample playing time has opened up in the corner outfield. Holcomb’s offensive potential should make him a fixture in Corbin’s lineup this spring. 

– Dylan Tovitz, Senior Staff Writer 

Catcher – Colin Barczi / Mac Rose

As the most physically demanding position on the field, catcher is likely to be split between a familiar face in Colin Barczi and a newcomer in Mac Rose. Barczi, a sophomore, came on strong at the end of the last season, tallying two singles, a double and two home runs in 18 at-bats during postseason play. He followed that up by slashing .352/.456/.648 in the NECBL over the summer, a stat line that earned him recognition as the starting catcher for the league’s all-star game. Rose, meanwhile, transferred over from McLennan Community College this summer after batting .354 in his first season of college ball. It will inevitably take time for him to get comfortable facing Division I arms, but Rose’s potential is well recognized throughout the industry, as evidenced by the Texas Rangers’ decision to select him with the final pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. While filling the shoes of Alan Espinal is a tall task, this pair of backstops offers plenty of upside both at the plate and behind it. 

– Rollfinke

Designated hitter – Chris Maldonado / Mike Mancini / Ruston Rigdon 

Vanderbilt’s three options at designated hitter all possess sky-high upside with low floors. Chris Maldonado will get the first crack at the gig. The junior will hope to return to his first-year form, when he hit .310 with 8 home runs and 12 doubles in only 155 at-bats. Last season, he unfortunately suffered a season-ending rotator cuff injury, which can be notoriously difficult to return from. 

If Maldonado can’t find his power stroke again, the next man up is JMU transfer Mike Mancini. The top-50 transfer hit .320 with 15 home runs and 29 stolen bases last collegiate season but struggled in the Cape this past summer against SEC-caliber pitching. If the junior can adjust to SEC pitching and approach his JMU slash line, Vanderbilt is in business. If he can’t, there is another exciting option.

Ruston Rigdon is a highly-regarded true freshman who will likely be Vanderbilt’s starting shortstop in 2026 when Vastine graduates. Rigdon was slated for a backup role this season but compiled an extremely impressive fall ball showing. If he keeps hitting like he did in the fall, he might force his way into the lineup as the designated hitter. Thus, while Vanderbilt does not have a clear designated hitter entering this season, Commodore fans should be excited about all three players.

– Adam Burns, Lead Sports Analyst