NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin stands at the top as college baseball’s number one prospect for the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft according to Perfect Game.
The top 125 prospects list released by the publication on Thursday included seven Commodores with Martin being tabbed the top prospect. Joining Martin on the list are left-handed pitchers Hugh Fisher (No. 12) and Jake Eder (No. 39), right-pitchers Tyler Brown (No. 49), Mason Hickman (No. 65) and Ethan Smith (No. 92), and outfielder Cooper Davis (No. 113).
Vanderbilt leads the nation with seven student-athletes on the list followed by four schools with five in the ranks including SEC foes Arkansas and Georgia.
Martin is coming off a breakout sophomore season with the Commodores in which he led the SEC in average (.392), on-base percentage (.486), and runs (87). The standout Jacksonville, Florida, product also flashed the leather in 2019 earning him First-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors.
Fisher finished tied for second on the team in appearances (22) with Zach King and saves (4) with Jake Eder. The sophomore left-hander limited opponents to a .195 average (16-for-82) with runners on base while striking out 46 in 34.2 innings.
Eder ranked second among Commodore relievers with a 2.97 ERA and 39.1 innings pitched. The Ocean Ridge, Florida, native limited opponents to a .190 average (12-for-63) with runners aboard and went 1-0 with two saves and a 3.00 ERA in three NCAA Tournament outings.
Brown was named a first-team All-SEC relief pitcher after setting Vanderbilt’s single-season saves record with 17. The Ashland, Ohio, product did not allow a run in 15 of his last 16 appearances and limited opponents to a .229 average in six NCAA Tournament appearances.
Hickman ranked 13th nationally in strikeouts (129), 20th in WHIP (0.95) and 24th in ERA (2.05). The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native notched the College World Series-clinching victory, fanning 10 Michigan batters while allowing one run in six innings.
Smith topped the Commodore staff holding foes to a .150 average including a .148 mark with runners aboard. The freshman right-hander from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, went 4-0 with a 3.27 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 17 relief appearances, spanning 33.0 innings.
Davis batted .371 (13-for-35) with two outs and .365 (19-for-52) with runners on base while reaching base in 31 of his 35 appearances on the season. The first Canadian born player to compete for Vanderbilt also reached base safely 29 straight games to start the season and produced 10 multi-hit games during that span.
Vanderbilt opens fall training on Oct. 8. Full-squad training sessions open to the public will take place Tuesday-Friday. The Commodores will host Michigan in fall exhibition action on Nov. 10 at Hawkins Field in a rematch of the College World Series finals. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. and admission is free. Additional dates and scrimmage schedules will be posted on Twitter (@VandyBoys) when available. The program’s annual Black and Gold series is set for Nov. 12-16.
The festivities are set for Saturday!
Join on West End for a trophy appearance, autographs, anchor drop and halftime recognition. #VandyBoys | #AnchorDownhttps://t.co/OIy9e9RWYf
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) September 17, 2019
