Vanderbilt Commodores will play against the Kentucky Wildcats in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Baseball Tournament, scheduled for Tuesday, May 19. The game is set to take place in Hoover, Alabama and will be broadcast on SEC Network and 102.5 The Game.
The matchup follows a regular season where Vanderbilt secured two wins out of three games against Kentucky in Lexington. Vanderbilt has previously won two of the last three SEC Tournaments, taking titles in both 2023 and 2025. If Vanderbilt wins this opening game, they will advance to meet Florida in the second round on Wednesday.
Several players have contributed significantly to Vanderbilt’s season performance. Mike Mancini stands out as one of only two players in the conference with at least 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases this year. Mancini was named to both the All-SEC Second Team and All-Defense team; he leads his team with 15 home runs—nine during conference play—and also tops walks (41) and stolen bases (19-for-20). Braden Holcomb has accumulated 78 hits so far, ranking second among all SEC players this season.
Vanderbilt set a new program record by hitting a total of 107 home runs this year, placing them ninth nationally for home runs and nineteenth for OPS (.924). In their win over North Dakota State on March 6, they hit seven homers—the most by any Commodores team since 2018.
Defensively, Brodie Johnston ranks sixth in hits among SEC players while also being recognized as D1Baseball’s No.3 third baseman during Week 12 position rankings. Ryker Waite was named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award due to his defensive performance at shortstop. Freshman catcher Korbin Reynolds leads all SEC catchers with runners caught stealing.
Looking ahead, Vanderbilt aims to continue its strong postseason tradition with another deep run in Hoover.
