Vanderbilt Baseball was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by No. 4 seed Wright State just six days after earning the No. 1 overall seed. The elimination was shocking, considering how Vanderbilt had played in the weeks leading up to the NCAA Tournament. After rounding out conference play with series wins over then-No.18 Alabama, then-No.15 Tennessee and Kentucky, the ‘Dores stormed through the SEC Tournament, winning three straight games to claim their second title in three years.
Vanderbilt was promptly rewarded with the No. 1 overall seed — for just the second time in the program’s coveted history — and was set to host until Omaha. On Friday, the “Cardiac Commodores” defeated Wright State, 4-3, thanks to a late-inning Riley Nelson home run. The next day they took on Louisville and were defeated 3-2, dropping them to the losers bracket and setting up a win-or-go-home rematch with Wright State. The hitting woes that plagued the Commodores all weekend continued in the season finale. Despite a late rally to bring the game within one run, Vanderbilt came up short and will now have to watch the rest of the postseason from home.
Head coach Tim Corbin’s squad proved many wrong this season despite the disappointing end. After a brutal sweep at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks in March — where Vanderbilt scored just seven runs on the weekend — the common thought was that this team lacked the eliteness the Commodore Faithful had come to expect. As the season progressed, the Commodores vastly improved. Things started to click for a relatively young team and they began dominating opponents.
With all that said, let’s examine Vanderbilt’s NCAA Regional performance and reflect on the season.
Three Up
Pitching continues to impress
Vanderbilt’s pitching was, once again, excellent this year — an attribute that often goes underappreciated. Assistant coach Scott Brown has done a phenomenal job in his 13 years with the program, especially this year, when there were more question marks surrounding the staff than usual. Brown developed a trio of JD Thompson, Cody Bowker and Connor Fennell into one of the most complete weekend rotations in the country. At the same time, he quietly built one of the most efficient bullpens in the nation, boasting 26 wins and a combined 4.17 ERA.
Aside from a shaky one-inning start from Austin Nye on Sunday, Vanderbilt’s pitching remained steadfast in the regional. Thompson and Bowker combined for 13 innings and 18 strikeouts while the bullpen did not allow a single earned run. Although Thompson and Bowker are likely headed to the draft, Brown should return the majority of his staff and add some highly touted arms from the class of 2025.
For as long as Brown is at Vanderbilt, the Commodores will continue to have one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. The challenge will now be to get some more weekend starters in the rotation for Brown to work with while continuing to develop his current guys.
Solid through the middle
Vanderbilt’s lineup was best through the middle, as the quartet of Nelson, Brodie Johnston, Braden Holcomb and Colin Barczi provided much-needed power. Adding in first-year Rustan Rigdon to the mix — who batted leadoff at the end of the season — the Commodores have a solid (and relatively young) group poised to return next year.
However, the top and bottom of the order left much to be desired, as these batters were actually less productive than in 2024. If Corbin and Co. can return this core while also adding more production around them, Vanderbilt could easily return to the top of the SEC next season.
Family
The love the players had for each other and the true “family feel” stood out the most from this season. This connection propelled them to have a player-led conversation after the Oklahoma series which triggered a second-half turnaround. Despite the outcome of the regional, this togetherness seems to be fully intact. These players will learn from the pain of elimination, and it will make them better together.
Three Down
Ice cold bats
Vanderbilt was quietly one of the most complete offenses in the nation just two weeks ago. A balance of Corbin’s trademark small ball philosophy and newfound power had many believing that the Commodores’ offense was prepared to put up several crooked numbers on the scoreboard. This was on full display during the SEC tournament — and then it all came crashing down.
Vanderbilt’s regional elimination came down to one familiar problem: an inability to gain hits. Nelson’s clutch homer on Friday masked a sluggish first six innings. The Commodores managed just 10 runs across 16 hits in the regional.
You can chalk it up to a poor approach, good pitching or sheer bad luck. But when you look at how each of the past few seasons ended, the story starts to blur together. It seems that until the Commodores can really embrace a mindset to transform an offense and find power across the lineup, it will be hard to keep up in the new power-driven era of college baseball.
Ride or die
Jonathan Vastine and RJ Austin are two of the most well-known names on Vanderbilt’s team. Austin has been a staple in the lineup for three years and Vastine for four. They have earned Corbin’s trust, but both struggled immensely at the plate this weekend.
Austin and Vastine combined to go 2-for-21 on the weekend. Austin has faced his fair share of hitting challenges throughout the season, including in April when he went 10 of 56 (.178). In Sunday’s elimination game, both had chances with runners in scoring position — Austin twice and Vastine once — and failed to plate a run. The offensive struggles of Vanderbilt this weekend were not solely because of either Vastine or Austin, but Corbin’s loyalty may have kept them in the lineup longer than others would have been.
Breaking the cycle
I don’t love this narrative, but I think it matters: success is learned. During almost all of Corbin’s 23 years at the helm, his rosters have contained at least a handful of players who have experience in Omaha. Those players knew the pressure of postseason baseball, and thus a culture that cultivated itself from the inside out was created. Now the only person on Vanderbilt’s roster who has even been to a super regional with Vanderbilt is Corbin himself.
While this certainly doesn’t imply that Vanderbilt will never return to Omaha, it does increase tension and nerves surrounding the regional round.
After Vanderbilt was eliminated in just two games from last year’s regional, Corbin took a hard look and accepted that things had to change. This prompted a multitude of adjustments that undoubtedly benefited the team and program, returning them to a 40-win season, an SEC Championship and the No. 1 overall seed.
The successes and achievements of this season should not stop Vanderbilt from attacking this offseason like they did last year. It needs to understand that a regional exit isn’t good enough. It must continue to develop its own players while attacking the transfer portal. The Commodores need to remember that feeling of watching Wright State celebrate on their home field. This is a moment that can become a turning point — for better or worse.
