What Vandy coach Tim Corbin looks for in recruits

Vanderbilt head baseball coach Tim Corbin has built a word class Division I program in the SEC. Given the talent level required to compete at that level, you might expect that Corbin focuses solely on sifting through talent based on physical attributes like arm and exit velocity, or 60 yard dash times.

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But as you will hear in this video snippet on CoachesInsider.com from the 2020 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) convention, Corbin highly prioritizes key personality traits when evaluating talent for the Commodores program. It's safe to say that the key traits Corbin looks for in recruits are likely highly valued as well by every college baseball — and softball — coach no matter the competition level.

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While we couldn't get a full transcript of Coach Corbin's video, here's the short list of traits he looks for that you as a young player should be able to convey when speaking with, or being evaluated by, a college coach:

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1. How invested you are in the game of baseball

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Simply put this means how important is playing baseball to you, and how much will you likely continue to commit to the game when you get to college and are confronted with the distractions that come with college life? As you level up as a player, oftentimes the difference between players is less physical and more tied to who puts in the time and effort to get better a little bit every day.

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2. How important is "team" to you

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Coaches like Corbin put an immense amount of value on "team" players because they know from their years of leading teams, it's that team ethos created player-by-player that separates the special teams from the "what could have been" teams. When in doubt, start by thinking "we" and not "me".

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3. How you show up outside of the game experience

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Corbin pays a lot of attention to the commitment and competitiveness recruits bring to practice and training. Again, this is connected to #1 above, but also demonstrates that you as a player aren't a "turn it on just for the game" type of player but someone who puts in the effort during every session.

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4. How you show up in the recruiting process

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The key here is that you as the player are stepping forward and engaging with college coaches directly, and that you're not having your parents or high school / travel ball coaches doing the communication. Showing the confidence to speak with coaches affirms your commitment to play and conveys a level of maturity that stands out to coaches like Tim Corbin.