Hoover, AL--As Tim Corbin looks around Hoover Met, he's filled with gratitude. This place has been special for Vanderbilt and Corbin over the years, perhaps more special than it's been for any other coach or program.

Wednesday night felt like evidence of that as Corbin unlocked fate by picking up his 47th career SEC Tournament win and breaking former Mississippi State and Georgia coach Ron Polk's record of 46 with the 80-year old coach in the building.

"Records are meant to be broken," Polk said in a conversation with Vandysports on Thursday. "If I’m gonna have a record broken by my good friend Tim Corbin that’s fine."

Perhaps even more fitting, Corbin did it against Polk's former school, where he won five SEC titles and 888 games.

In typical Corbin form he didn't get into all that, though. In his eyes it's more about honoring the event.

The Vanderbilt coach has certainly done that over the years and the course of the week.

"Being here to play in this tournament means a lot," Corbin said. "It's unbelievable. I was standing over here just looking at the stands and even in my 60s I'm very, very lucky to be coaching in this environment right here.

"I love this tournament. The kids love this tournament."

You don't get to a record like this without taking that kind of pride in an event like this.

The veteran head coach said the individual achievement didn't do it for him, though. That's an answer that Polk seemingly could've predicted.

“He's the old-school guy," Polk said of Corbin. "I hope that Tim coaches as long as he wants to and he’s a good friend. I’ve known him since he was at Clemson. I competed against him. He’s done a great job at Vanderbilt University.”

Polk has picked up on what has made Corbin successful over the years. In his eyes, it isn't hard to see.

It also isn't necessarily all about baseball.

"Very organized. Kids love him. Very respectful to everybody and he’s just a good college baseball coach," Polk said. “He had that little advantage there for awhile with the scholarship situation but that did not reflect totally on why he won ballgames."

Corbin seems to echo similar sentiments about Polk.

"He's one in a million," Corbin said. "With Skip and Ron Polk those are two guys that coached at the same time and did so much for college baseball. I love Ron Polk. Maggie does too.

"He thinks of other people, he's given his whole life to college baseball and kids. He's not married. He's just given his life to everyone, to all these boys. He takes care of boys on other teams, too. His communication methods are incredible. He's just one in a million."

Polk acknowledges that things are different than when he and Corbin competed and first formed their relationship. The transformation of the sport seems to have taken Polk's generation of coach by storm.

Perhaps adapting with the times is the biggest obstacle for coaches to catch Polk, who is the winningest SEC coach in the league's history.

"I think Corbin is behind me and Dave Van Horn and Mike Bianco closing in on the all-time coaching record I think they’re about 250 or 300 behind," Polk said. They’ll catch me as long as they don’t get out of coaching. With NIL now maybe those coaches are not gonna be staying around as much."

However long Corbin sticks around, it feels as if he's left his mark on this event. Polk certainly had, as well.

That was proven by the fate that coincided on Thursday night.