Vanderbilt baseball hires new hitting coach: The Anchor
Nobody will question the talent level of Vanderbilt’s pitching and fielding. They’re both elite.
It’s the Commodores’ performance at the plate that has been the struggle and was key factor in their early exit from the NCAA Baseball Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.
The Commodores made a coaching change before last season to improve their offense, and it worked late in season. However, the offense disappeared once the Nashville NCAA Regional began, and the Commodores became the first-ever No. 1 overall seed that failed to reach its regional final.
Now, Vanderbilt is moving on to its third hitting coach in as many seasons.
Former Commodores infielder Jason Esposito is expected to be hired as the Commodores’ next hitting coach, according to reports from D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers and 247 Sports’ Joey Dwyer.
SCOOP: @VandyBoys is expected to hire former standout player Jason Esposito as its new hitting coach, I'm told. Esposito replaces Jayson King and has spent the last 3 seasons as the assistant hitting coach for @CleGuardians. He has spent 8 total years in the #Guardians org.… pic.twitter.com/zL6BvZaL4E
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 19, 2025
Esposito was a second round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2011 after helping lead Vanderbilt to the College World Series in Omaha. In that final season, Esposito batted .369/.420/.577 with four homers, 26 RBIs and 28 runs in SEC regular-season play.
Jason Esposito, despite being a former player, is a different type of hire for Vanderbilt since he comes from the MLB ranks + specifically from an org that has a generally good reputation with development + is analytically driven
— Aria Gerson (@aria_gerson) June 19, 2025
Today’s Commodores Schedule
Women’s Track and Field: Vanderbilt at USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, Eugene, Ore.
Yesterday’s Commodores Results
Women’s Track and Field: Vanderbilt at USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, Eugene, Ore.
Did You Notice?
#VandyBoys have flipped lefty Aiden Stillman, the No. 50 player nationally in the 2025 class, from Virginia.
— Aria Gerson (@aria_gerson) June 19, 2025
Adds a quality left-handed arm after the likely losses of JD Thompson and Ethan McElvain pic.twitter.com/1n0NQxDm7c
Manny Ramirez Jr.'s MLB player comparison is Vlad Guerrero Jr.!?@Jared_Carrabis asked these top draft prospects who they compare their game to. pic.twitter.com/J7USNxMzsr
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 18, 2025
Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2025 Football Season Opener
70 days
Commodores Quote of the Day
“If you’re going to live and die with your success based on the last game of the year, you are going to die a miserable person. You are going to have to find other ways to value what you’re doing as a coach.”Maggie Corbin to her husband, Tim
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Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.