Vanderbilt baseball lands Koby Kropf, USC Upstate outfielder, in transfer portal

Koby Kropf, a second team All-Big South outfielder from USC Upstate, has committed to Vanderbilt baseball, he confirmed to The Tennessean on Tuesday.

Kropf is a grad transfer in his final year of eligibility. He spent two years at a junior college and two with the Spartans, though he appeared in only four games in 2023. In 2024, he had a breakout season as he hit .352 with 21 doubles and 20 home runs. He served as the everyday right fielder at USC Upstate but has played catcher in the past.

Amid a difficult schedule, Kropf had some success against other high-level teams. During a three-game series against Kentucky, he hit a home run and drew four walks. He was 4-for-9 during two games against Coastal Carolina, 2-for-5 with a double against South Carolina and 1-for-6 with a grand slam across two games against Clemson.

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

Kropf provides much-needed power to the lineup as well as another outfield option on a roster that lacks depth there. Every outfielder with eligibility remaining from Vanderbilt's 2024 roster is either draft-eligible or has never played in a college game, though players like RJ Austin, Braden Holcomb and Dayton transfer David Mendez have experience playing outfield in addition to the infield.

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: Koby Kropf commits to Vanderbilt baseball as USC Upstate transfer