The Vandyboys are once again SEC Tournament champions and on top of the baseball world, for now. Let’s take a look at how and why that happened as well as what this means for the future.

One buzzword that has been used countless times on TV this week to describe Vanderbilt is “multiple”. Simply put, this just means that Vanderbilt can beat you in a whole bunch of ways. This week proved that as they won each game in the tournament in distinctly different ways, each one perfectly suited to their opponent and the conditions.

Against Oklahoma, Vanderbilt used a great JD Thompson start and timely hitting to dispatch a team whose offense and defense has been struggling. When facing Tennessee on a day that the wind was blowing in (in a Hoover park that has felt cavernous this week) and Tennessee was forced to use some less experienced arms, they singled the Vols to death while employing small ball pressure on the poor UTK defense. They also held Tennessee’s typically explosive offense at bay with quality outings from Cody Bowker and Connor Fennell. Finally, against Ole Miss Vanderbilt scored all their runs on homers as the Rebels’ pitchers were not giving much for the Vandy position players to work with. An under-appreciated undercurrent throughout the whole weekend was the absolutely dominant bullpen, who only gave up 1 run in 11.1 innings.

This team really can beat you in every way. When one side is off, the other one just seems to turn it on and say “don’t worry, we got this one today”. That’s the mark of an elite team.

Much has been made of Vanderbilt’s weaknesses this year, but they didn’t show any this weekend. The SEC Tournament stats back that up, too.

Vanderbilt was the top team in: batting average, both ERA and runs allowed, strikeouts per 9 innings, and fielding percentage. So, uhhh… yeah. That’s pretty darn good.

This will be one of the shortest “keys to winning” sections I’ve ever written because I think those numbers speak for themselves. When you have the top offense, defense, and pitching in a tournament, it’s not often that you lose games.

This team has the most quality pitching depth of any squad I can remember watching, Vanderbilt or not. All three starters gave Vanderbilt quality performances, and then the bullpen, as previously mentioned, was just dominant. JD Thompson, Cody Bowker, and Austin Nye might not have the best stuff in the country (although particularly Thompson and Nye have really, really good stuff when they’re on), but they get the job done. Behind them, I don’t think anyone in the country has a better 1-2 bullpen punch than Sawyer Hawks and Connor Fennell. Oh, and Luke Guth hasn’t allowed a run in 16 of his 19 appearances. That alone gives you a core of 6 pitchers most coaches would give up an arm or leg for, and a group that literally won you an SEC championship (this core allowed just 3 runs over a total of 24.1 IP).

This doesn’t even mention Alex Kranzler, Levi Huesman, Ethan McElvain or England Bryan who, while somewhat inconsistent, have come in and delivered in many big moments for the ‘Dores this year. This team’s pitching depth is truly something that most coaches can only dream of, and good enough to sustain a run to Omaha.

Something that has fallen by the wayside when you hear people talking about why this team has won so much is the mental side of things. Having confidence and a good mentality is truly one of the biggest parts of both individual success and a successful team in baseball. The 2025 Vandyboys squad clearly had no identity and several key players were struggling to find confidence early in the season, but the tables have turned since then.

After that seemingly magical players-only meeting after game 2 in Oklahoma, this team has had a renewed sense of self-belief, closeness, and a determination to both win and have fun while doing it. Since that time, you’ve seen Vanderbilt go 15-4 in the SEC as their level of play has just skyrocketed in all facets of the game. The offense is hitting better. The staff is pitching better. Even the coaches seem to be having more fun and doing better. It is a rare, rare thing to have a group of individuals with the mental fortitude and toughness to brush aside real adversity and approach the rest of the season with the right kind of attitude.

It’s clear that both the players on this team and their coaches all share a real bond that can only be forged through mutually shared hardships. Let’s appreciate that for as long as possible, while also giving both the players and coaches all the credit in the world for putting aside their egos and uniting behind one another.

This team has done something special this weekend, and is in the middle of what can only be described as the continuation of a special 2024-25 for Vanderbilt athletics. A combination of elite talent, great coaching, and the right mentality has led them to the top of the SEC for the 2025 season. Take a bow, Vandyboys. You’ve earned it.