Report: Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt part ways with assistant coaches Mike Baxter, Tyler Shewmaker

Following Vanderbilt’s exit from the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament and a down year overall for a storied program, head coach Tim Corbin decided to make some major changes.

According to Kendall Rodgers of D1 Baseball, Corbin has let go of two coaches on his staff and one that has been there quite a while. He tweeted the news Thursday afternoon:

“SCOOP: Vanderbilt baseball has parted ways with assistant coaches Mike Baxter and Tyler Shewmaker, @d1baseball has learned. Baxter spent seven seasons with the Commodores as the hitting coach, Shewmaker three seasons.”

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Well, changing hitting coaches is certainly a big offseason move, and these two decisions show that Tim Corbin is not just going to run it back after a disappointing year.

Recap on end of Vanderbilt’s season

Vanderbilt took control against High Point with an early 5-0 lead in what would be their final game of the season. But the Panthers didn’t back down, scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up and start the back-and-forth affair.

Things then got worse for the Commodores in the seventh when High Point put up a four-spot in the seventh inning thanks to two two-run singles. That made it a 9-5 Panthers lead as Vanderbilt’s backs were pushed squarely against the wall.

But VU bounced back in the eighth with four runs of its own to bring it back to a 9-9 ball game. That score held into the bottom of the ninth when Miggy Echazarreta knocked in the winning run with a walk-off single. It not only gave High Point its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, but also meant Vanderbilt’s season officially came to an end.

RJ Austin had a huge day for Vanderbilt, going 5-for-5 in the leadoff spot while adding three RBI – including two in the eighth inning to help get the Commodores back into it. Bryce Cunningham looked strong on the mound early for Vanderbilt, but wound up allowing four runs in his 5.1 innings of work before taking the no-decision.

The Commodores headed to the losers bracket Friday night after a 13-3 loss to Coastal Carolina in the Clemson Regional. With Saturday’s loss, VU finishes with a 38-23 overall record, including a 13-17 mark in SEC play.