NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Multiple Vanderbilt student-athletes received Southeastern Conference honors, as the SEC announced its league awards for the 2021 baseball season Monday , voted on by conference coaches.
The duo of Jack Leiter and Enrique Bradfield Jr. headlined the Vanderbilt honorees as Leiter was tabbed the SEC Newcomer of the Year and Bradfield was selected as the Freshman of the Year.
The trio of Leiter, Bradfield and Kumar Rocker were each named to the All-SEC First Team as the Commodores placed a league-high tying three representatives on the list.
Rocker and Leiter finished first and second, respectively, in the conference in total strikeouts to end the regular season as the duo combined for 256 punchouts.
The rookie duo of Bradfield and Jack Bulger were selected to the Freshman All-SEC Team as the Commodores were one of four teams to have multiple freshmen honorees.
Bulger wrapped up the regular season with a .297 average across 41 games of action while registering five home runs.
Vanderbilt placed also placed two on the Newcomer All-SEC Team with Leiter and Carter Young receiving the recognition.
Bradfield served as the lone Vanderbilt honoree on the SEC All-Defensive Team. With the selection, the Commodores have had at least one player named to the conference All-Defensive Team in 12 of the last 13 SEC seasons including eight consecutive.
Bradfield becomes the third Commodore in program history to win Freshman of the Year and first since Tony Kemp in 2011. The freshman outfielder ranks among the top three in the SEC across four offensive categories including first in stolen bases (42), second in on-base percentage (.478) and fourth in batting average (.366).
Leiter concluded the regular season ranking first in the SEC in opposing batting average, limiting hitters to a .128 mark. He also ranks fifth in ERA with a mark of 2.12 while owning a record of 8-2 on the campaign.
This season marked the first that the SEC selected a Newcomer of the Year as only sophomores and redshirt freshmen were eligible for the honor.
Vanderbilt opens play in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday in the final game of the day’s second session. The Commodores will play the winner of Ole Miss and Auburn and the contest will be aired live on SEC Network.
