How Does Vanderbilt Baseball Transcend Preseason Ranking? Look at Braden Holcomb. – Sports Illustrated

NASHVILLE—As Braden Holcomb struts through the bullpen, shows off his new curly hair and walks up into the walkway of Hawkins Field to address the media, nobody within view was even close to misidentifying the Vanderbilt junior. 
That’s what happens at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds–partiularly when it’s a program stalwart like Holcomb has become at this point. Holcomb is the most physically-imposing player in this program by a longshot. If looks decided everything, he’d be preparing for the NFL Draft rather than addressing the media. Here he is as a recognizable face in this program, though. 
Holcomb’s rolodex of signature moments in this program has begun to become a noteworthy one after his two walk-off home runs that propelled Vanderbilt to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. How exactly Holcomb’s career at this place will be remembered is still up for interpretation, though. 
He’s as gifted a player as any that has come through here in this recent era of Tim Corbin’s tenure, but he’s still yet to be a part of a team that has won big. Holcomb’s teams have yet to get out of a regional. He’s also yet to put together a season that can truly be considered his breakout. 
Does that change this season? If so, how? 
“Consistency,” Vanderbilt hitting coach Jason Esposito told Vandy on SI in a fall interview in regard to the key to Holcomb taking a jump. “It’s what we’re looking for from all of our players. The more consistency we can have with executing our plan, hitting balls hard. I think you’re going to see growth within a lot of players who are going to take the next step in their development.” 
Holcomb is on his third hitting coach in three seasons at Vanderbilt and could benefit as much as anyone from Esposito’s emergence. Vanderbilt needs him to. 
When Vanderbilt has struggled at the beginning of Holcomb’s two seasons, he was in the midst of a brutal early-season stretch in which he was subjected to the bench at times. When it was rolling, Holcomb was a consistent middle-of-the-order presence that was flicking balls over the fence and had to be pitched to carefully. 
“Towards the end of the year he was always on the field,” Corbin said. “I think he’s in a good place right now. He’s certainly in a good place offensively, he’s doing good things for us defensively and his health is good. I think Braden is in a good spot.” 
Holcomb ranked in the 95th percentile nationally in average exit velocity in 2025, with both his barrel rate and xwOBA sitting well above average. The questions surrounding Holcomb, like Esposito said, involve consistency as well as contact rate. Holcomb’s junior season, in some ways, represents a crossroads in his career. Can he improve the things that have hampered him to this stage and be perceived as a more complete hitter? Or will he exit the season as a generally boom-or-bust piece that will have to refine things significantly at the next level?  
The idea of Holcomb taking another step–like he did in nearly every offensive category last season–isn’t all that hard to comprehend. And if it happens, this Vanderbilt team has a chance to easily transcend its No. 8 ranking in the SEC preseason poll. It’s got to happen, though. 
It appears as if Holcomb taking an offensive leap will complement an important defensive step, as well. Holcomb is listed as a utility player on Vanderbilt’s roster and could be accurately described as one through the first two seasons of his career. His junior–draft eligible–season could be the one in which he finally settles in at one, though. 
The defensive role this season appears to involve Holcomb finding his most consistent playing time in center field, as Vandy on SI’s Dylan Tovitz projected based off of Holcomb’s winter reps. 
"There's not many people in the college game who are as athletic as him," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. "He can do a lot of different things, and I'm not saying that just to compliment him, it's the truth. If you could put him at third base, he would look like, 'okay he fits there.'”
Holcomb’s defense appears to be a valuable piece of this and is a fun offseason storyline, but what will really unlock his–and Vanderbilt’s–ceiling appears to be clear. Vanderbilt is a significantly more dynamic team if Holcomb can have a true breakout offensive season in which he demonstrates that he’s a more complete hitter. 
Perhaps his maturation and the step he’s taken align well with the timing of the Hawkins Field right field wall moving in. If that’s the case–and he can consistently take it the other way, his numbers could boom. 
“It’s definitely a noticeable difference, just the way the ball is flying out of here,” Holcomb said. “I think there's a few of us that are really going to enjoy it.”
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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