The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team is an American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college baseball team from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The team participates in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and plays its home games on campus at Hawkins Field. The Commodores are coached by three-time National Coach of the Year and three-time SEC Coach of the Year, Tim Corbin. During Corbin's tenure as head coach, Vanderbilt has become one of the premier college baseball programs in the United States, responsible for 19 first-round picks in the MLB draft.
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History
Vanderbilt first fielded a baseball team in 1886. Herbert Charles Sanborn, the chair of the Department of Philosophy and Psychology from 1921 to 1942, who was also the president of the Nashville German-American Society, coached the team in 1912–1913. Baseball became a scholarship sport in 1968.
The Commodores secured only three NCAA appearances in the 20th century—in 1973, 1974, and 1980. They had only three other winning seasons in SEC play in the first 35 years of the scholarship era. However, they have been to every NCAA tournament but one since 2004. The team qualified for the NCAA Super Regionals in 2004, had the nation's top recruiting class in 2005 according to Baseball America, made the NCAA field again in 2006, and won the 2007 SEC regular-season and SEC tournament crowns. The Commodores were ranked first in most polls for a majority of the 2007 season and earned the #1 national seed for the 2007 NCAA tournament. Vanderbilt's victory over the University of Virginia in the finals of the 2014 NCAA tournament marks the program's first national title and second appearance in the College World Series, having first appeared in 2011. In 2019, Vanderbilt's fourth College World Series appearance, they beat Michigan two games to one in the finals, winning their second national title.
Stadium
The original venue for the Commodores ball club was McGugin Field. Currently, the Commodores play their home games at Hawkins Field, which is an on-campus facility with a 3,700 seat capacity. Temporary outfield bleachers were installed for the 2007 Regionals and all of the 2008 season, bringing the capacity to 3,535. In May 2008, Vanderbilt announced extensive plans to upgrade its athletic facilities, including the addition of permanent seats down the first base line and outfield seats in both left-center and right field. These additions increased the size of Hawkins Field to its current capacity of 3,700 seats. It is adjacent to both Vanderbilt Stadium and Memorial Gymnasium and is across the street from the McGugin Center. Hawkins Field opened in 2002 and is named after a donor who gave $2 million to help finance construction. The stadium was also the site of the first NCAA Baseball Tournament Regional that Vanderbilt ever hosted when it was the site of the Nashville Regional in 2007. Vanderbilt and Hawkins Field again hosted Regionals in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023 along with hosting Super Regionals in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
NCAA tournaments
The NCAA Division I baseball tournament started in 1947.
The format of the tournament has changed through the years.
NCAA records
Most stolen bases in one inning (6) SEC Opponent Florida Gators May 26, 2012
Most stolen bases in one inning NCAA Opponent Florida Gators May 26, 2012
Most stolen bases in a game (7) Opponent Florida Gators May 26, 2012
Conference affiliations
Vanderbilt has been affiliated with the following conferences.
Independent (1886–1891)
SIAA (1892–1921)
Southern Conference (1922–1932)
Southeastern Conference (1933–present)
Conference championships
Vanderbilt has won 10 conference season championships, 4 conference tournament championships, and 9 conference division championships.
Rivalries
Tennessee
Vanderbilt's primary rivalry is with the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee leads the all time series 188–169–2. The rivalry intensified in the 21st century where both programs had sustained success, including multiple college world series appearances and nationals championships.
Louisville
The Vanderbilt rivalry with the Louisville Cardinals is a baseball rivalry known as the Battle of the Barrel. The two teams first met in 1971 and have met annually since 2008 to play in a midweek game for a traveling oak barrel trophy. The rivalry has been amplified by the success of the two programs during the 21st century, the close proximity of the two universities, and the regular postseason encounters. Vanderbilt leads the series 30–14, but the trophy series is tied 7–7.
Individual school records
Player awards
Pedro Alvarez
2007 Golden Spikes Award Finalist
2007 Baseball America First Team All American
2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association First Team All American
2007 American Baseball Coaches Association Second Team All American
2006 Baseball America National Freshman of the Year
2006 Collegiate Baseball National Freshman of the Year
2006 Baseball America First Team All American
David Price
2007 Roger Clemens Award Winner
2007 Golden Spikes Award Winner
2007 Dick Howser Trophy Winner
2007 Baseball America College Player of the Year
2007 American Baseball Coaches Association National Player of the Year
2007 American Baseball Coaches Association First Team All American
2007 Brooks Wallace Award Winner
2007 Baseball America College All-America First Team
2007 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year
2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association First Team All-American
2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District Player of the Year
2007 SEC Male Athlete of the Year
2007 SEC Pitcher of the Year
2007 First Team All-SEC
2006 Golden Spikes Award Finalist
2006 Baseball America Summer Player of the Year
Casey Weathers
2007 Baseball America First Team All American
2007 Collegiate Baseball First Team All American
2007 American Baseball Coaches Association First Team All American
2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Third Team All American
2007 First Team All SEC
Dansby Swanson
2014 All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) First Team
2014 College World Series Most Outstanding Player
2015 All-SEC Second Team
2015 Baseball America First Team All-American
2015 Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American
2015 Coaches' Poll First Team All-American
First Overall Pick of the 2015 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks
SEC awards
Pitcher of the Year
David Price - 2007
Grayson Garvin - 2011
Carson Fulmer - 2015
Player of the Year Award
Hunter Bledsoe - 1999
Tony Kemp - 2013
JJ Bleday - 2019
Freshman of the Year Award
Pedro Alvarez - 2006
Tony Kemp - 2011
Enrique Bradfield - 2021