Vanderbilt Baseball Notebook: How Does It Move Forward? The Core, Needs

Vanderbilt baseball needs to evolve under head coach Tim Corbin after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time after a 19-season regional streak.

May 31, 2024; Clemson, SC, USA; Vanderbilt University Head Coach Tim Corbin, right, and pitching coach Scott Brown watch sophomore JD Thompson (22) pitch to Coastal Carolina University during the NCAA Clemson Regional baseball game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images | Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE—-Vanderbilt baseball’s regional streak is over, now where does it go? 

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said after Vanderbilt’s Wednesday SEC Tournament loss to Florida that he’ll conduct a program audit that will take a look at every aspect of his operation and where it needs to be improved in order for it to find its way back to prominence. 

A job posting indicates that Corbin has already put a search out in hopes of finding someone to fill a general-manager-esque role for his program. The indication is that the role will be awarded to someone with professional baseball experience. 

It would also be a surprise if Corbin opts to move on from Vanderbilt pitching coach Scott Brown at this stage of the program’s retooling. Brown oversaw a Vanderbilt staff that had a noticeably down year, but he’s Corbin’s right-hand man and has overseen a number of successful staffs over the years. 

Vanderbilt will be a different program in 2027 than it was in 2026, but the differences appear to be more about the mindset it will carry and how it evolves than the personnel on its staff. Even then, Corbin is hesitant to stray from the things that have made his program successful in the past. 

“I think the balance is trying to do things in the way that you're trying to stick to your values of what you deem necessary and important inside your program,” Corbin said. “I don't look at it and go ‘oh, my gosh.’ I just look at it and say ‘I'm going to figure this sh** out, some way, somehow.’”

Vanderbilt’s core group

Even with the way this ended on Monday, Corbin doesn’t appear to believe that Vanderbilt will have to do a complete turnover of its roster to get back to the NCAA Tournament and beyond. 

Corbin will make an effort to retain his infield, a number of his young arms and others. If he can do that, he feels confident in what he has moving forward. 

“I really like that infield. I love Ryker. I love Brodie. I love Rooster, Goodin I love, I mean that's a good nucleus,” Corbin said. “So I like that. I like catching. We do have some young arms. And we'll just see what happens to the rest of them. So hopefully we can put a pretty good roster together.”

Portal needs 

Vanderbilt does need to add to the core that it has in place if it’s going to be a real threat in 2027. It will have its infield largely retained, but it will have to add some pop to its lineup after losing Logan Johnstone and potentially losing Braden Holcomb. 

Its biggest emphasis point has to be the pitching staff, which has the ability to take a step forward next season if Corbin and Brown add some reinforcement to it. That will determine how good this Vanderbilt team is moving forward.

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