Vanderbilt lands power hitting infielder from James Madison in transfer portal

Vanderbilt is doing their part to keep up in the loaded SEC, snagging a commitment from second baseman Mike Mancini out of James Madison in the transfer portal on Monday.

Mancini exploded as a sophomore for the Dukes this past season, slashing .329/.419/.587 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. He was the 70th ranked player in the transfer portal according to 64 Analytics .

Mancini is perhaps most known for hitting a combined four home runs on one day against South Carolina and NC State in the Raleigh Regional this past season.

The 20-year-old also hit well in the Appalachian League in 2023 – slashing .318/.438/.424 – although he is struggling a bit with Orleans in the Cape Cod League this summer.

Vanderbilt has solid infield depth but was lacking power and speed in a big way last season, and in an extremely deep SEC that resulted in a 13-17 record in conference play and a fourth place finish in the East behind Tennessee , Kentucky , and Georgia .