Baseball: Vanderbilt players earn multiple All-SEC honors

Brodie Johnston, Sawyer Hawks and RJ Austin earned All-SEC honors on Monday.

RJ Austin catches a ball in the outfield, as photographed on April 18, 2025. (Hustler Multimedia/Barrie Barto)

By Henry Oelhafen, Sports Editor

May 19, 2025

Brodie Johnston, Sawyer Hawks and RJ Austin were honored with SEC postseason awards on Monday, per the league office.

Hawks earned Second Team All-SEC honors as one of Vanderbilt’s top relievers this season. The Florida native held an impressive 1.55 ERA while striking out 51 over 40.2 innings. The righty also boasts six saves on the season, five of which came during SEC play. After being injured for most of the 2024 season, Hawks had a stellar bounce back year for the Commodores and will be a critical piece to the bullpen this postseason.

Johnston was given two honors — All-SEC Freshman Team and All-SEC Defensive Team. The freshman leads all first-year batters in the SEC with 12 home runs, and his 51 RBIs leads all players on Vanderbilt’s roster. While batting just .254, Johnston has cemented himself as one of Vanderbilt’s top power hitters.

Austin and Johnston were both honored on the All-SEC Defensive Team. The pair helped lead the Commodores to a 0.982 fielding percentage in the regular season — good enough for seventh best in NCAA Division I. Austin was also honored on the SEC Community Service team.

The Commodores earned a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament this week and will receive a double bye. Their first game is slated for Thursday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. CDT in Hoover, Alabama.

About the Contributors

Henry Oelhafen, Sports Editor

Henry Oelhafen (‘26) is a student in Peabody College majoring in human & organizational development and minoring in English. He previously served as Deputy Sports Editor and produced Live from West End, The Hustler’s sports podcast. He loves to talk about all sports, particularly professional and amateur golf. In addition to writing, he loves to hike, try new restaurants and play golf with friends. He can be reached at [email protected].

Barrie Barto, Former Editor-in-Chief

Barrie Barto (‘25) majored in medicine, health & society and communication of science & technology with a neuroscience minor in the College of Arts and Science. She also previously served as Photography Director. When she’s not hiking in Percy Warner, you can find Barrie cheering on the St. Louis Blues or tracking down the best gluten-free food in Nashville. She can be reached at [email protected].

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