NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt received 493 points and enters the 2021 campaign ranked No. 2 in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll, the publication announced Monday.
The Commodores, who were ranked second by the publication for a third season in a row, are among five Southeastern Conference programs in the top nine. Florida sits at the top spot in the poll, while UCLA (No. 3), Texas Tech (No. 4) and Ole Miss (No. 5) round out the top five. The SEC led all conferences, placing 12 teams inside the top 50.
Vanderbilt has been ranked inside the top 10 for 11 consecutive seasons. During that stretch, the Commodores have captured two national titles and advanced to the College World Series four times.
The Commodores registered a 13-5 record across the shortened 2020 campaign while closing out the season ranked sixth nationally. Despite losing an SEC-best four Major League Draft selections and two free agent signings from last year’s team, the program returns four players who were ranked among D1Baseball’s 2021 Top 150 MLB Draft Prospects — Kumar Rocker (No. 1), Jack Leiter (No. 2), Isaiah Thomas (No. 27) and Hugh Fisher (No. 51).
Four #VandyBoys in @D1Baseball’s 2021 College Top 100 Draft Prospects 📈
1️⃣ – Kumar Rocker
2️⃣ – Jack Leiter
2️⃣7️⃣ – Isaiah Thomas
5️⃣1️⃣ – Hugh Fisher#eVerythingU pic.twitter.com/8gdSuZBMsa— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) December 9, 2020
Vanderbilt brings in 17 newcomers — 16 freshmen and one transfer — who will look to make an immediate impact on the diamond. The Commodores’ 2020 recruiting class was tabbed as the third-best in the nation according to Baseball America.
