David Mendez, A-10 Rookie of the Year, commits to Vanderbilt baseball in transfer portal

David Mendez, who was the Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year at Dayton, has committed to Vanderbilt baseball .

Mendez primarily played second base and left field, but he saw time at every position on the field except first base and catcher.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Mendez was was named a Freshman All-American by the NCBWA. He will be following his former coach, Jayson King, who left the Flyers to be an assistant on the Commodores' staff.

In 2024, Mendez hit .342 with nine doubles, six home runs and 24 stolen bases. He also walked 30 times to 29 strikeouts.

He made his college debut in a midweek contest against Vanderbilt in February where he pinch-hit and drew a walk off Ethan McElvain. During a three-game series against Wake Forest the following week, Mendez was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run.

Mendez faced two other NCAA tournament teams, High Point and VCU. In three games against High Point, he was 5-for-8 with two walks and three hit-by-pitches. He also stole two bases. In two games against VCU, he was 3-for-6 with a walk and a stolen base.

TRANSFER TRACKER Vanderbilt baseball transfer tracker 2024: Who is leaving, joining via portal

He is the first position player to commit to the Commodores as a transfer this offseason. Vanderbilt has already secured commitments from three pitchers − Cody Bowker, Tommy O'Rourke and Joseph Dzierwa.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: David Mendez, A-10 Rookie of the Year, commits to Vanderbilt baseball in transfer portal