NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt received its fourth preseason top 10 recognition of the 2021 campaign, as the Commodores checked in at sixth in Baseball America’s Preseason Top 25 rankings Monday.
Vandy was ranked inside the preseason top 10 by the publication for a second year in a row, after taking the top spot in last season’s preseason poll. The Commodores are among five teams from the Southeastern Conference in top 10, while the SEC placed nine of the league’s 14 teams inside the Top 25 to lead all conferences.
Florida sits at the top spot in the poll, while UCLA (No. 2), Texas Tech (No. 3) Ole Miss (No. 4) and Virginia (No. 5) round out the top five. The duo of Mississippi State (No. 8) and LSU (No. 10) joined the Gators, Rebels and Commodores as the SEC schools in the top 10.
Vanderbilt posted 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).
The Commodores bring in 17 newcomers — 16 freshmen and one transfer — who will look to make an immediate impact on the diamond. Vanderbilt’s 2020 recruiting class was tabbed as the third-best in the nation according to Baseball America.
The duo of Rocker and Leiter enter the new campaign as preseason All-Americans, as both were recognized by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. The Commodores came in at second in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll, while ranking sixth in Perfect Game’s Top 25 and fourth in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25.
Vanderbilt opens the season on Feb. 19, welcoming Wright State to Hawkins Field for a three-game weekend series. It marks just the second time in the past five seasons that the Commodores will begin the season at home.
Starting the season in our backyard. 🏠
Welcoming Wright State to The Hawk on Opening Day. 👊#VandyBoys | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/ZWXYcMvaFj
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) January 20, 2021
