Projecting Vanderbilt Baseball's Rotation After Connor Fennell's Return
NASHVILLE---Connor Fennell is back for Vanderbilt baseball and gives it a rotation as strong as it's had since his arrival on its campus in the fall of 2024.
Fennell posted a 4.96 ERA and a 4-2 record as Vanderbilt's Friday-night starter in 2026 after a breakout 2025 season in which he posted a 2.53 ERA and 6-0 record. Fennell navigated pitch tipping, a few mechanical changes that he needed to make and what he calls the most individual adversity he’s been through at any point in his career in 2026.
He believes he’s better off for it, though.
“I've learned how to deal with struggle,” Fennell said. “This is the first year that in competition, I've actually dealt with struggles, dealt with tipping, dealt with pitching mechanics to work on throughout the year. So it's been good to learn myself.”
Friday: Austin Nye
Nye projected to be one of the premier Friday-night guys in the SEC a year ago, but an injury in non-conference play never allowed him to explore his ceiling. The indication is that Nye could finally fill that role in 2027, but he’s got to be healthy to do it.
There’s only one season of a body of work at the college level to Nye’s name, but he’s the player on Vanderbilt’s roster that MLB people believe has the easiest path to being a first-round draft pick in the summer of 2027.
In 2025, Nye posted a 3.55 ERA while striking out 58 batters across 50.2 innings while primarily working as Vanderbilt’s midweek starter. There’s optimism within Vanderbilt’s program that he could improve those numbers as a junior while starting on Friday night.
Connor Fennell has a chance to keep the role, but Nye is likely the favorite to be Vanderbilt’s Friday-night guy on opening night of SEC play if he’s healthy. There is a world where Nye isn’t healthy out of the gates and a rotation spot is opened up for one of Vanderbilt’s younger arms.
Saturday: Connor Fennell
Fennell was Vanderbilt’s Friday guy and only real reliable starter in 2026, but that role appeared to be a lot for him. Perhaps the Saturday role could fit him and his unconventional style more easily.
Fennell posted a 4.96 ERA and a 4-2 record as Vanderbilt's Friday-night starter in 2026 after a breakout 2025 season in which he posted a 2.53 ERA and 6-0 record. Fennell navigated pitch tipping, a few mechanical changes that he needed to make and what he calls the most individual adversity he’s been through at any point in his career in 2026.
He believes he’s better off for it, though.
“I've learned how to deal with struggle,” Fennell said. “This is the first year that in competition, I've actually dealt with struggles, dealt with tipping, dealt with pitching mechanics to work on throughout the year. So it's been good to learn myself.”
Whether it’s in the Friday night or Saturday night role, Vanderbilt has a real upper-tier arm in Fennell.
Sunday: Shane Brinham
Brinham is the type of arm Vanderbilt thought it landed a few years ago with Michigan State left-hander Joseph Dzierwa–who eventually went back to Michigan State and is now in the Baltimore Orioles system–and will immediately change things in its rotation.
He’s the best transfer pitcher that Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin has landed in recent memory, and will bolster a rotation that needed another proven arm.
Brinham posted a 3.88 ERA in his first college season and started 10 games. He finished the season with a 6-4 record, allowed 28 earned runs over 65.0 innings pitched and racked up 61 strikeouts. Opponents hit .245 against him during the 2026 season.
Brinham has an opportunity to be Vanderbilt’s best transfer starter in recent memory. He’s also got a chance to be a part of its best rotation since Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were on Vanderbilt’s campus.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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