The Vanderbilt Commodores are gearing up for another baseball season that could lead to another trip to Omaha for the Men’s College World Series.
Two of the Commodores are considered among the Top 100 prospects for the 2025 MLB draft — left-handed pitcher J.D. Thompson and outfielder RJ Austin.
Thompson is ranked No. 65 while Austin is ranked No. 79.
MLB.com grades Thompson at 50 on the 20-80 scouting scale, with a high grade of 60 for his fastball. He’s considered one of the better left-handers in the draft and is expected to be the Commodores’ Friday night starter once SEC action comes around.
Ranked at No. 65, he could go in the first two rounds.
Thompson was selected all-region second-team by ABCA/Rawlings and earned SEC co-pitcher of the week in May. He notched a victory against then-No. 1 Tennessee in which he shut out the Volunteers for six innings, allowed two hits and struck out nine hitters.
He finished 5-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 games (12 starts), with 74 strikeouts and 18 walks in 52 innings. For his Vandy career, he is 7-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 games (13 starts) with 97 strikeouts and 31 walks in 74 innings.
Austin has an overall scouting grade of 45, with a high grade of 60 for his running ability, along with grades of 55 for his hitting and fielding ability. He’s moved around with the Commodores playing all four infield positions, along with left and center field.
He turned scouts’ heads at the Cape Cod League last summer and he’s considered an all-field hitter that won’t offer much power.
As a freshman in 2023, he was named the MVP at the SEC Tournament, along with all-tournament selection. For the campaign he slashed .257/.351/.390 with seven home runs and 43 RBI.
That vaulted him into last season when he was a Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list and slashed .335/.402/.471 with five home runs and 54 RBI. Notably, he stole 28 bases, up from four his freshman season.
The Commodores are entering this season ranked No. 15 in Perfect Game’s preseason Top 25. Vandy is coming off a 38-23 season overall and a 13-17 record in SEC action. The Commodores got three games deep into the SEC Tournament before losing to Tennessee and being eliminated. Vandy then lost in the Clemson regional.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
