Vanderbilt Baseball finished its regular season with a 3-0 series sweep against South Carolina. Having lost eight out of its last 14 games, the floundering ’Dores will look to the SEC Tournament from May 19-24 as an opportunity to salvage their season and any chance of an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Commodores have gotten hot in Hoover, Alabama, before, as they won last year’s championship and three others during head coach Tim Corbin’s tenure. This squad, however, is struggling with inconsistencies on both sides of the ball that feel uncharacteristic of Corbin’s dominant program identity.
Many burning questions remain about the team as it enters the postseason. The Hustler staff tried to answer some of them as the VandyBoys make the trip south for the SEC finale.
Does Vanderbilt have to win the SEC Tournament to keep its 19-year NCAA Tournament streak alive?
Eli Landers, Sports Editor: I cannot say anything other than yes. The ’Dores’ lackluster regular season, finishing 32-24 overall and 14-16 in SEC play, has them sitting very far from the bubble on many bracket projections. Their poor performance against ranked teams only hurts the VandyBoys’ case for an at-large bid. Hence, it feels like the only way for the season to continue after Hoover is for them to leave “The Met,” with the trophy and an automatic bid. In the single elimination format, anything is possible — especially given Vanderbilt’s talented roster and veteran coaching staff. However, to anticipate an unlikely run to glory would be overly optimistic, and it is more than likely the Black and Gold will be done until next February after the conference tournament.
Can the Commodores’ pitching staff hold its own day after day?
Tristan Rutman, Deputy Sports Editor: As much as I wish I could say that Connor Fennell and the rest of the Vanderbilt pitching staff could put together a five-game stretch to pull off a victory in the SEC Tournament, it feels as though the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes are diminished. Over his final three starts of the regular season, Fennell has looked like the ace that he was expected to be heading into 2026. However, injuries, a lack of depth and underwhelming additions have left Fennell as one of the lone bright spots for the Commodores’ pitching staff. Wyatt Nadeau, the only other pitcher on the roster with more than 40 innings pitched, ended the season on a sour note, and the bullpen has been a disappointment all year long. I think the weak pitching staff will ultimately lead to the Commodores’ downfall in Hoover.
Mikey Andersen, Lead Sports Analyst:
The Vanderbilt bullpen is a tale of two halves this season. Outside of Fennell, who has found his stride and has become a reliable starter for the Commodores, the rest of the team’s depth consists of young players like Nadeau and Hamilton, both of whom have brought inconsistent pitching. At times, those inconsistencies have led to trouble for the team, and it’s reasonable to assume those problems aren’t just going to stop coming at tournament time.
What does the offense need to do to find some consistency in the postseason?
Colin Adams, Deputy Sports Editor: For the Commodores’ offense to get rolling in the postseason, they need to rely on overall consistency. One of the biggest problems they faced against Missouri in Columbia was creating traffic on bases, which caused the Commodores to come up empty-handed in many innings. The ’Dores offense this season, while productive on paper, has struggled in big moments. While guys like Braden Holcomb and Mike Mancini can absolutely carry the team offensively, this Vanderbilt lineup isn’t built like some of Corbin’s in the past. To succeed in Hoover and possibly beyond, Vanderbilt needs to rely on creating early-count damage, instead of playing from behind as they have through SEC play this season. On the positive side, SEC Tournament baseball always provides weird and inconsistent baseball compared to the regular season. If the Commodores can string together quality at-bats, they absolutely have the defensive help to make an early run.
Bella Umansky, Non-Revenue Sports Specialist: As Colin pointed out, the Commodores have become overly reliant on their power hitting. The ’Dores have had 107 home runs this season — the highest in program history, when Vanderbilt won the College World Series. However, if it cannot extend innings and avoid empty frames, the team will struggle to create the momentum it needs to find success in the postseason. The Commodores’ .399 on-base percentage looks good on paper, but an increased OB% would allow Vanderbilt to achieve the consistent offensive play it has lacked this season. By not solely relying on the long ball and creating traffic on the bases, the Commodores would create new opportunities to score runs through controlled hits and doubles. If the VandyBoys can combine this controlled approach with their power on the plate, they will have a greater chance of having a strong postseason run.
Who is the team’s biggest X-factor with the season on the line?
Rutman: Vanderbilt’s biggest X-factor will be a guy who has a ridiculous amount of pop in his bat but hasn’t always translated it to results: Tommy Goodin. Goodin came into the year with an indefinite position on the team, but the sophomore outfielder has shown an innate ability to step in and show out in the moments where he is needed most. Take the third game of Vanderbilt’s series against then-No. 21 Tennessee — Goodin stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, one out and his team down by three runs. Only four words are needed to describe what happened next: walk-off grand slam. I expect the Commodores to need some similar heroics from Goodin, and perhaps a comparable outing to his performance in the LSU series (5-for-9, 3 HR), to extend their season.
Landers: The ultimate X-factor for the ’Dores will be their starting rotation on day two and beyond. Fennell has proven himself to be a reliable ace, but likely can only start one, maybe two games in the five-day stretch that is Hoover. It’s up to the rest of the starting pitching to navigate the games and produce consistently. No matter who Vanderbilt plays, SEC offenses are too potent to rely on just bullpen pitching, and the other starters — likely a combination of Nadeau, Baird and Stillman — must do their part. If these wildcards can take command of the mound and pitch into the middle frames, they will protect the bullpen from the premature exhaustion that they have often faced this year.
What positives can the VandyBoys take away from this season heading into 2027? What must they leave behind?
Jack Frutkin, Deputy Sports Editor: There is certainly quite a bit to be critical of about the Commodores’ 2026 campaign, but I want to highlight a bright spot for the Black and Gold: power hitting. In a season where the VandyBoys’ pitching staff seemingly fell apart, Vanderbilt finished with an exceptional 107 home runs, which ranked No. 4 in the SEC. In 2025, the Commodores tied for third place in the SEC standings but finished 13th in home runs with just 66. Many expected this disparity to remain, but surprisingly, the ’Dores were no strangers to the home run column in 2026. Mike Mancini, Brodie Johnston and Braden Holcomb led the team in home run production, finishing with 15, 14 and 14 round-trippers, respectively. Colin Barczi was right behind with 11, headlined by a three-home run performance — all more than 430 feet — in the season opener against TCU. Vanderbilt will need those four, along with Goodin, Logan Johnstone and the rest of its offense, to continue driving the ball out of the park in the SEC Tournament to take pressure off an inconsistent and thin pitching rotation.
Daniel Desmond, Staff Writer: Vanderbilt won the College World Series in 2019. The 2020 college baseball season was cancelled due to COVID-19, and in 2021, the Commodores were the runners-up after losing to Mississippi State in the finals. Following the 2021 NCAA baseball season, college athletes gained the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness. In the NIL era of college sports, Vanderbilt baseball has gone 5-8 in the NCAA Tournament and hasn’t made it back to Omaha since that 2021 season. According to On3’s NCAA Baseball transfer portal class ratings, Vanderbilt had the No. 46 transfer class in 2022, No. 36 in both 2023 and 2024, and entering 2025, the Commodores had the No. 28 transfer portal class. Before this season, the VandyBoys lost four pitchers to the 2025 MLB Draft and said goodbye to three more who entered the transfer portal. In response, Vanderbilt brought in two pitchers through the portal, Nate Taylor and Jacob Faulkner, who were relievers at their prior schools. It isn’t a surprise that the pitching staff struggled massively this year, as Vanderbilt didn’t come close to replacing the pitching talent they lost at the end of last year. Overall, Vanderbilt Baseball needs to start prioritizing the transfer portal, as in the NIL era of college sports, the portal is critical to success — and Vanderbilt’s lackluster transfer classes have been a driving factor for its disappointing results thus far.
