James Franklin Crashes the Vanderbilt Baseball SEC Championship Party

by:Nick Roush•05/25/25•

RoushKSR

Vanderbilt celebrates an SEC Baseball Tournament Title, via Jake Crandall: Montgomery Advertiser : USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images — Vanderbilt celebrates an SEC Baseball Tournament Title, via Jake Crandall/ Montgomery Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover lived up to the hype. It was the first-ever single-elimination tournament between 16 teams. There was high-stakes drama, right until the last out. It also featured something nobody was expecting, James Franklin.

Vanderbilt was competing for its sixth SEC Tournament Title, and its fourth in six years. A victory would solidify Vandy’s spot near the top of the league, despite a slight dip in recent years. As the game began, a familiar face emerged and nobody knew why.

Penn State head coach James Franklin was in the Vanderbilt dugout. What in the world?

“I was in Destin with my family. We checked the schedule, saw they were playing today, so we got up early this morning and drove down. Me and Tim (Corbin) have been very close since my first year at Vanderbilt,” Franklin told ESPN.

If that wasn’t awkward enough, the current Vanderbilt head football coach, Clark Lea, was in the stands while the former Vanderbilt coach was mucking it up with the players in the dugout.

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James Franklin pulled up to the SEC baseball tournament to support his long-time friend and Vandy head coach Tim Corbin 🤝 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/Ud9MRmJVSg
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) May 25, 2025

The dugout guest wasn’t enough to distract from the Commodores. Brodie Johnston blasted a two-run homer in the first inning to give Vanderbilt the lead over Ole Miss. The Rebels made it a one-run game in the fifth, but Vandy promptly responded with a solo shot.

The game was hanging in the balance until the top of the ninth. Ole Miss blasted a solo shot to make it a 3-2 game. They had runners on first and second when Ole Miss popped out to give the Vanderbilt Commodores their third SEC Tournament title in six seasons.

James Franklin is finally a part of a championship team, just not one he coaches.

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