Summary
Vanderbilt is often synonymous with college baseball excellence. Earning national recognition on a yearly basis, the Vanderbilt baseball program continues to improve their recruiting capabilities, regularly landing the top high school baseball players in the country.
Led by one of the most respected head coaches in all of college baseball, the program is also supported by a variety of other personnel, including assistant coaches, baseball operations staff, athletic trainers, and even video coordinators.
Vanderbilt plays in the SEC East, matching up against highly competitive programs like Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina for in-conference play. With a highly talented team and an exciting stadium atmosphere in an up-and-coming city, Vanderbilt is a great destination for out-of-conference teams. The program also faces a variety of teams across the country in tournament style competitions in the early part of the season.
Since 2002, the Vanderbilt baseball program has experienced a lot of success. In addition to SEC and National Championships, the program has seen a fair share of it’s players move on to the next level of baseball. In the 2019 MLB draft, Vanderbilt matched the SEC record with 13 player selections.
The university has recognized the growth and success of the baseball program, and as a result, has been willing to reinvest in the sport.
Overall, the Vanderbilt baseball program has a lot going for it. Led by an experienced coaching staff, the program has performed at the highest level over the past several years. Additionally, the university is known for its high academics and is located in a city that is attractive to college students. All of this plays into the hand of Vanderbilt baseball program’s recruiting efforts.
Head Coach
Now a recognizable name in college baseball, Tim Corbin became the head coach of the Vanderbilt baseball program in 2003. Prior to Vanderbilt, Corbin spent 8 years at Clemson serving in a variety of assistant coaching roles.
During his time at Clemson the program posted an impressive 71% winning percent with four College World Series appearances. Corbin has been able to continue a pattern of success at Vanderbilt.
As the head coach at Vanderbilt, Corbin has posted an impressive 753-359-1 record, which places him at the top of the charts for total wins and win percentage, for coaches with over 100 wins, in program history. Over the past 17 years, Corbin has been able to transform a moderately successful baseball program into a Division 1 powerhouse.
In the past 7 years, the Commodores have made three appearances in the College World Series Final, taking home two national championships. They’ve also reached the NCAA tournament 14 years in a row which is the longest current streak for any SEC team.
A major component to Vanderbilt’s success is their recruiting and player development capabilities. Corbin is able to land some of the most highly sought after recruits in the country. More importantly, once these players arrive at Vanderbilt, the program’s coaching staff is able to further develop their baseball skill sets, quickly turning them into contributing players.
As a result, under Corbin’s leadership, 48 players have received All-American selections, 14 of which were first team selections. 24 players have also gone on to play at the MLB level.
In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Corbin also served as the Team USA head coach in 2006. He coached the team to it’s first tournament win on Cuban soil, posting a 28-2-1 record. This wasn’t Corbin’s first time coaching for Team USA. In 2000, he was an assistant coach at the World Championship in the Netherlands.
Some of Corbins’ accolades include assistant coach of the year in 2000, and he was recently inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class.
Vanderbilt Baseball Facilities
Built in 2002, Hawkins field is the home of the Vanderbilt baseball team. While still a relatively new stadium, the facility has received a number of renovations and improvements throughout the past 18 years.
The different phases of renovations have cost the university millions of dollars. With these investments, the university is able to provide the top facilities for the players, and a quality experience for their fans.
With about 2,500 chairback seats and unique field dimensions, the stadium provides for an exciting atmosphere for the students, fans, and players. Hawkins field is placed directly next to the football stadium, which makes it easily accessible for students living on campus.
Just four years after Hawkins field was completed, the university included an additional 500 seats along the 1st and 3rd baselines, which was a $4.5 million dollar renovation. These baseline seats are close to the field of play, allowing fans to safely watch the games a few yards from the players.
Phase three of the renovations added a complex directly next to Hawkins field, which houses the players’ locker room, weight room, training room, and offices for the coaching staff.
The most recent renovation cost the university $13 million dollars, which expanded the Vanderbilt baseball facility to about 30,000 square feet. The facility now includes a state of the art meeting room, cardio room, fueling station, upgraded weight room, staff offices, and separate locker rooms for current and professional players.
Vanderbilt Baseball Alumni
Having a dedicated locker room for professional players is a pretty good indication that the program consistently produces professional players. The Vanderbilt baseball program has an impressive list of alumni.
As of the 2020 season, 16 alumni were competing at the MLB level, including Mike Yastrzemski, Dansby Swanson, David Price, and Walker Buehler. Another 30 players are currently in MLB team farm systems, ranging from rookie ball to triple A. On a yearly basis, the program produces 7 to 10 additional professional players.
