Vanderbilt baseball goes into the 2025 season with major changes at the plate.
The No. 18 Commodores finished the 2024 season 10th in the SEC in runs scored and 13th in the home runs. It was the third straight season Vanderbilt finished with a bottom-five offense in the SEC.
That prompted coach Tim Corbin to make changes to the offensive staff, firing coaches Mike Baxter and Tyler Shewmaker and bringing in Jayson King and Ty Blankmeyer. The lineup also saw major changes, with seven of the 11 most-used hitters from a season ago gone and just 43% of plate appearances back overall. Among the position players are nine returners, seven freshmen and four transfers.
There’s pressure on the Commodores to adapt to the new offensive environment in college baseball, where home runs have become more important especially in the postseason. Vanderbilt has not advanced out of a regional since 2021.
Here’s what you need to know about the Commodores’ position players in 2025:
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Catcher
The three players who saw time at catcher last season − Jack Bulger, Alan Espinal and Logan Poteet − are all gone, and Vanderbilt will now turn to sophomore Colin Barczi. In 2024, Barczi hit .208 with two doubles and two home runs in 29 appearances, all of which were as a pinch-hitter or DH. He did hit .387 in 25 games in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer.
Backing up Barczi will be junior college transfer Mac Rose, who was the final pick of the 2024 MLB draft but didn’t sign. Last year, he hit .354 at McLennan Community College.
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Infield
Two of Vanderbilt’s most important returners this season are the middle infield duo of Jayden Davis and Jonathan Vastine. Vastine, a senior, turned down draft opportunities to return to the Commodores. He’s one of the top defenders in the SEC and last year hit .299 with 18 doubles and 10 home runs. Davis, meanwhile, served as the everyday second baseman and hit .316 overall, but he was even better in SEC play with a .347 batting average before suffering an injury at the end of April.
A third key returner is junior Chris Maldonado. As a freshman in 2023, he had the top batting average on the team at .310, but he went down with a season-ending shoulder injury just five games into 2024. Shoulder injuries can be difficult to return from, but reports on Maldonado’s progress have been good so far and Corbin suggested that he may hit for more power than his 12 doubles and eight home runs from two years ago. Maldonado can play first, second or third base, but his likely home is at first base or DH.
Beyond that trio, several newcomers bolster the infield group. Transfer Mike Mancini hit .329 with 15 home runs and 29 steals at James Madison a year ago. He’s a second baseman by trade but has also seen time in the outfield. He’s likely to miss the first part of the season with an injury but projects to be in the lineup when healthy. Junior college transfer Riley Nelson hit .412 at Yavapai College in 2024 with more home runs (13) than strikeouts (12). He has a chance to start at either first base or DH.
Finally, the Commodores have two potential impact freshmen. Brodie Johnston generated buzz over the summer in the Appalachian League and in the fall, when he looked like Vanderbilt’s best hitter. He is the likely starter at third base. Rustan Rigdon is a switch-hitter who can play all over the field. There likely isn’t room for him in the infield in 2025, but he could be a super-utility player or push to start in the outfield or at DH.
Outfield
The key to Vanderbilt’s outfield group is junior RJ Austin. Austin has spent most of his college time at second base and first base, but he’ll move to center field for his junior season. In 2024, Austin led the SEC with 28 stolen bases and he hit .335. He could be a first-round pick if he increases his power output from the five home runs he hit a year ago.
Sophomore Braden Holcomb split time between first base and the outfield corners as a freshman, but during the preseason he’s settled into right field. He has enough raw power to have hit home runs over two different SEC scoreboards last year, but the key will be reducing his strikeout rate from 36%. Another potential breakout candidate is JD Rogers, who has just 27 plate appearances in three years. He is one of the top options in left field and could have a good combination of power, speed and plate discipline if it all comes together.
Jacob Humphrey is an electric baserunner who can play all three outfield positions and he went 12-for-13 on stolen bases a year ago. He hit just .227, though, so he may be better suited for a defense and baserunning focused bench role. Dayton transfer David Mendez and redshirt freshman RJ Hamilton are two other speed-focused outfield options, though neither projects to start right now.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
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