Three Vanderbilt Baseball Players Named To All-Tournament Team For SEC Tournament, Including The MVP

HOOVER, Ala.- Vanderbilt took down Ole Miss 3-2 in the SEC Championship Sunday and captured its fifth conference tournament title. After the game, three players were named to the all-tournament team: first baseman Riley Nelson, center fielder RJ Austin and third baseman Brodie Johnston.

Johnston not only got on the all-tournament team, but was also named the SEC Tournament MVP. In the Commodores victory in the conference championship, Johnston went 2-for-4, including a two-run home run in the first inning that put his team in front for the rest of the game. In both Thursday’s game against Oklahoma and Saturday’s game against Tennessee, Johnston went 1-for-4 in each game.

“Well, he's talented. You can see the tools and whether it's arm, bat speed, strength and he is continuing to play and he will continue to learn. But I think what makes him a little different is the fact that he can control his heart rate and adrenaline inside of competition. He does a good job of that,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said. “He's got a fast memory. So if an at-bat doesn't go his way, he gets right back into the game. So I just think it's that. He's a mature kid on the baseball field that is still learning how to play.”

While Nelson did not get a hit in Sunday’s title game win, he played a major role in each of the first two games of Vanderbilt’s tournament run. Against Oklahoma and Tennessee, he went 2-for-4 at the plate in each game and drove in a combined three RBIs.

Austin was perhaps the biggest reason Vanderbilt was able to get past Oklahoma from an offensive standpoint. Austin went 2-for-4 against the Sooners and drove in three of the six runs in Thursday’s game. In the other two games in the tournament, Austin went 1-for-4 in each game and got an RBI in Saturday’s win over Tennessee.

Here is the full list of of the 2025 SEC All-Tournament team:

2025 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

OF: Hunter Ensley, Tennessee

OF: Richie Bonomolo Jr., Alabama

Most Valuable Player: Brodie Johnston, Vanderbilt

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