Vanderbilt Commodores Baseball Senior Star Receives Top National Ranking

The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team has a player that is considered by one outlet to be the best in the senior class.

May 21 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; Vanderbilt shortstop Jonathan Vastine throws to first for an out against Florida at the Hoover Met on the opening day of the SEC Tournament. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

In college baseball, many players head to pro baseball after their junior seasons. And, in the era of the transfer portal, not every player spends all four years with the same college.

But, then again, not every player is Vanderbilt’s Jonathan Vastine.

The Commodores senior infielder has played shortstop for the past two season for Vanderbilt and entering this season Perfect Game considers him to be the No. 1 senior player in college baseball.

Perfect Game ranked the Top 75 seniors in the game, but Vastine took the top spot.

He isn’t listed among the Top 100 2025 MLB Draft prospects by MLB.com, but he has a full season to change that. He’ll likely be preseason all-SEC for the second straight year, as he was all-SEC second team last year.

Last season, Vastine was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award as he finished with a slash line of .299/.384/.545 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. Among those home runs was a three-run shot against then-No. 1 Tennessee during the SEC Tournament. He also hit three leadoff home runs in SEC play, along with a huge 4-for-5 game against Auburn.

As a sophomore in 2023 he finished third on the team in batting average, with a slash line of .287/.355/.448 with five home runs 34 RBI. He was also third on the team with 103 total bases.

As a freshman in 2022 he slashed .196/.246/.235 with no home runs and six RBI.

He’ll be part of a team looking for a little redemption after an out-of-character 2024.

Vanderbilt went 38-23 last year, with a 13-17 record in the SEC. The Commodores made a deep run in the SEC Tournament before losing to Tennessee. They were eliminated at the Clemson Regional, losing both games.

Vanderbilt is a two-time national champion, having claimed the Men’s College World Series in both 2014 and 2019. The Commodores were also runners-up in 2015 and 2021 and have been to Omaha five times since 2011.

The program also has two of the best freshmen coming in this year.

Baseball America listed the top 25 freshmen in the country and Vanderbilt’s Brodie Johnston, who was listed as a third baseman, was ranked No. 2. Infielder Rustan Rigdon was ranked No. 21.

Johnston is a Tennessee native who spent his summer in the Appy League, where he posted a slash line of .284/.351/.479 with six doubles, six triples, five home runs and 47 RBIs. He was named an All-Star and that All-Star Game’s MVP. He also hit home runs in all three games of the David Williams Fall Classic, Vanderbilt’s fall baseball tournament.