NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s been a little more than six months since Vanderbilt baseball took the field in a game capacity, after the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the Commodores turned the page to a prepare for a new season when they opened fall training at Hawkins Field.
“The feeling of a team training environment was satisfying to everyone,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said. “It’s one step of many. Being ‘mentally engaged’ on day one is good. The ability to replicate that is better. The ability to create that mentality consistently is best. Let’s see how it unfolds as we move forward.”
Corbin enters his 19th season at the helm of one of the most-successful college baseball programs in the country. The Dores head coach is now 753-359-1 at Vandy and has led his team to the NCAA Tournament 14 straight seasons, prior to last season ending prematurely in March.
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), Hugh Fisher (No. 34) and Isaiah Thomas (No. 89).
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.
Tuesday marked the first day of an NCAA mandated 45-day window as the Commodores begin to prep for what is expected to be another challenging schedule beginning in mid-February. The team’s fall training will conclude with the program’s annual Black and Gold series which is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 16-19.
Did you miss us? 👋#VandyBoys | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/m1WNNRpjFj
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) September 15, 2020
