Vanderbilt Commodores Listed Among DI Baseball’s Best Preseason Teams
The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team is coming off another NCAA Tournament season, but one that ended before the super-regional round. They’re hoping to change that this season.
D1Baseball.com released its Top 25 preseason rankings on Monday and the Commodores came in at No. 16, a ranking that would put them among the teams that could reach the super regionals later this year.
Vandy wasn’t the only SEC team in the rankings. Other SEC teams included Texas A&M (No. 1), LSU (No. 3), Tennessee (No. 4), Arkansas (No. 5), Georgia (No. 8), Florida (No. 10), Mississippi State (No. 18) and Texas (No. 19).
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.
Last week several Commodores were singled out as players that could influence how far Vanderbilt goes in the postseason.
Commodores shortstop Jonathan Vastine was named the No. 1 senior in the country by Perfect Game.
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.
Middle infielder RJ Austin was ranked among the top 25 juniors by the same site, along with being ranked among the Top 100 draft-eligible prospects by MLB.com.
Austin’s second season in Nashville saw him make the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list and slash .335/.402/.471 with five home runs and 54 RBI. Notably, he stole 28 bases.
Left-handed pitcher Ethan McElvain was ranked among the Top 25 sophomores by Perfect Game.
McElvain showed plenty of promise during his 11 appearances (four starts) last season. He went 1-2 but kept his ERA at a manageable 3.24. He struck out 29 and walked 15 in just 25 innings.
Two freshmen were named among the Top 25 in the country by Baseball America — infielders Brodie Johnston and Rustan Rigdon.
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.
Vanderbilt’s first regular season games will come at the MLB Desert Invitational in Phoenix from Feb. 14-16. The Commodores’ home opener is against Air Force on Feb. 18.
