Vanderbilt 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament Exit Interview

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey presents the 2025 Tournament Championship trophy to Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin (SEC photo)

By Jake Mastroianni

SEC Tournament Results: W, 6-1 vs. Oklahoma; W, 10-0 (7) vs. Tennessee; W, 3-2 vs. Ole Miss

Record: 42-16

There was never much of a question about the Vanderbilt pitching staff, but many wondered coming into the season if they would get enough offense to compete at the top. 

Well, the offense was still a struggle for head coach Tim Corbin’s club, but the pitching was just that good that they were able to overcome to win 19 conference games and the SEC Tournament. 

JD Thompson (4.06 ERA) was a steady presence in the rotation all year long on Friday night. The real surprise was Cody Bowker, who had a breakout year posting a 4.46 ERA in 66.2 innings with 93 strikeouts. 

Connor Fennell moved into the rotation this year after starting in the bullpen. Overall, he posted a 2.68 ERA in 50.1 innings with 82 strikeouts. 

Sawyer Hawks was one of the best relievers in the country with a 1.50 ERA in 42 innings with 54 strikeouts and 6 saves.

Luke Guth (1.02 ERA), Miller Green (4.35 ERA), and Ethan McElvain (45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings) are other arms they relied on heavily this season. 

The pitching staff finished the regular season with the fourth-best ERA in the SEC and had the highest K/9 at 11.85. 

Fortunately, the pitching staff didn’t need much run support because Vanderbilt’s offense continued to struggle, finishing 13th in the conference in batting average. They were a little bit better in SEC play, finishing ninth. 

Despite having all the tools, RJ Austin never reached the next level at Vanderbilt. He hit just .261 with 2 home runs this year, but he did lead the team with 15 doubles and 22 stolen bases. 

Riley Nelson (.363) was the only batter who had an average over .300 this year. And freshman Brodie Johnston hit just .254, but led the team with 12 home runs and 51 RBI. 

What’s next

There may not be a team in the country playing better than Vanderbilt right now, as they won their last three SEC series and ran through the SEC Tournament, allowing just 3 runs in three games. 

They’ll get to play the first two rounds at home, where they were 28-5 this year, and the ballpark dimensions play to their strength as a pitching staff. 

Obviously, the biggest key for Vanderbilt in the postseason will be whether or not they can score enough. They’ll be leaning heavily on veterans like Austin, Nelson, Braden Holcomb, Colin Barczi, and Jonathan Vastine to deliver in key spots.

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