Vanderbilt’s Brodie Johnston bare-handed a dribbling ground ball and threw to first base for the second out of the SEC Championship game on Sunday. Later in the inning, he launched a two-run homer at 110 mph to left field at The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
It was this sequence that proved was the difference in the 2025 SEC Championship game. Johnston, a Ooltewah, Tennessee, native earned Most Valuable Player honors as Vanderbilt defeated Ole Miss 3-2.
The freshman from Boyd Buchannon School in Chattanooga garnered All-Freshman and Defensive team accolades in his first year of college. His play on both sides of the baseball was exactly what the Commodores needed to capture a fifth SEC tournament title.
How Vanderbilt and Ole Miss Started
Johnston wasn’t the only freshman to star for Vandy on Sunday. Freshmen Austin Nye and Walker Hooks started for Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, respectively. It was Nye’s second start versus a conference opponent. It was the first of Hooks’ career.
The importance of Johnston’s first out was magnified as Will Furniss ripped a single past Johnston in the next at-bat. Judd Utermark, an All-Tournament performer, followed with a pop-out to end the frame. Utermark is hitting .337 with runners in scoring position and has driven in 16 runs with two outs.
The two freshmen pitchers tossed a combined 8 2/3 innings, while allowing three runs on five hits. Hooks finished after four frames, while Nye exited in the fifth after a walk and hit-by-pitch with two outs. Miller Green gave up an RBI single to Mitchell Sanford before Luke Guth came in and escaped the top of the fifth. This set the stage for the bullpens to carry the baton in a low scoring affair.
How Vanderbilt closed out the game
A pair of Humphreys were the only modes of offensive support from that point forward. First, Vandy’s Jacob Humphrey hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth. Later in the ninth, Isaac Humphrey accomplished the same feat. After recording the second out of the final inning, Vanderbilt’s closer Sawyer Hawks walked two Rebels. As Ole Miss’s Brayden Randle stood in the box and got jammed by a fastball from Hawks. All-Tournament outfielder RJ Austin hauled in the shallow pop-up, ending the Rebels threat.
Vanderbilt Steady for More
Vanderbilt doesn’t need elite offensive power on its journey through the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Commodores rank well outside the top 100 (t-126) in home runs. But the offense has been potent enough to supplement stellar pitching. The three-game conference tournament run means that Vanderbilt has now won 10 of its last 12 conference games.
With the offense picking up at the right time, the Vanderbilt pitching staff should have room to continue its dominance. It’s a group that ranks first after 56 regular-season games in strikeouts-per-nine innings (11.6). The Commodores are also top 10 in WHIP.
As JD Thompson leads the rotation, the development of Connor Fennell and Cody Bowker gives head coach Tim Corbin a sense of flexibility and extreme confidence. Vandy, along with Florida, are the only SEC teams harboring pitchers with 50 or more innings and a K-Rate of 30% or higher.
Corbin also has a bonafide closer in Hawks. The right-hander has hurled 54 strikeouts across 42 innings, while walking just nine batters. Hawks has earned six saves on the season.
For a team that has won five games with a differential of two runs or less in the past two weeks, the Commodores are steadily in position to withstand the unpredictability of the NCAA Tournament.
In a season with power numbers down across the country, it’s a perfect scenario to showcase a squad with strong hit tools, elite pitching and savvy performers. Only a dozen teams have hit 100 home runs or more this season. At this point last year, 31 teams had hit the century mark.
This year was also the lowest output in home runs at the SEC Tournament since 2019. There were a total of 20 long balls in Hoover. Last year, the teams hit a record 46 home runs in the tournament.
All-Tournament Team
Listed below are the members of the SEC All-Tournament team.
P: Hunter Elliott, Ole Miss
P: Connor Spencer, Ole Miss
C: Cannon Peebles, Tennessee
DH: Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
1B: Riley Nelson, Vanderbilt
2B: Judd Utermark, Ole Miss
3B: Brodie Johnston, Vanderbilt
SS: Jaxon Willits, Oklahoma
OF: RJ Austin, Vanderbilt Hunter Ensley, Tennessee Richie Bonomolo Jr., Alabama
Most Valuable Player: Brodie Johnston, Vanderbilt
