MESA, Ariz -- Ooltewah, Tenn., is home to a population of just 462 people. There’s a Chick-fil-A, picturesque state parks and the highest-rated restaurant is called the Local Goat. Luther Roy, who pitched parts of four big league seasons during the 1920s, was born there. Tucked into the southeast portion of the state, it’s also the place where Brodie Johnston, a three-time all-state performer on the diamond, has plied his craft for the entirety of his life.

Until now. Now he’s one of the most heralded freshmen in Division I baseball, the talk of a lineup that constantly churns out all-SEC performers and Draft picks, all before he’s so much as dug into the box. Freshmen don't often arrive with this type of hype.

“I've always wanted to be a Vanderbilt Commodore,” Johnston said. “I mean, it's been my whole life. I grew up watching and everything. When Corbs gave me the opportunity, I knew I wasn't going to turn it down.”

“Corbs” is Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin, the patriarch of Vandy’s powerhouse program for more than two decades. Even as Johnston hit .518 and stole 30 bags during his senior season at Boyd Buchanan School in Chattanooga, Tenn., Corbin admitted that while they had always liked Johnston’s tools, having long been around the program’s development camp, they didn’t truly jump off the page.

Ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft, Johnston effectively took his name out of the running, telling all 30 MLB organizations he had just one goal in mind for ‘25 and beyond: he was going to fulfill his dream of attending Vanderbilt.

But before he could ever officially board a bus or finish a workout as a Commodore, Johnston spent the summer with the Greeneville Flyboys of the Appalachian League, a premier wooden-bat circuit that helps provide additional exposure for incoming college freshmen and amateurs looking to make their mark; there were 38 alumni selected in the 2024 Draft alone.

• Complete Appy League coverage

Johnston tore up the circuit with a .284/.351/.479 slash line with 17 extra-base hits and 47 RBIs in 43 games, a spin that began with a three-run homer in his first at-bat. He routinely barreled the ball up in excess of 100 mph, including a 106.9 mph roundtripper during the All-Star Game that served as the hardest-hit homer of the summer and earned him the contest’s MVP Award. To boot, he made starts at five different positions (shortstop, first and third base, left and center field) and helped lead Greeneville to a title game appearance.

“Honestly, I was just going out there and it was like: ‘You're in a summer league and it's the game of baseball. Just have fun with it,’” Johnston said. “I mean, if you do your stuff, get your work done and just have fun, the game will reward you.”

A key component of the Appy League is that players get to receive hands-on instruction from former big leaguers who serve as managers and on coaching staffs. In Johnston’s case, 12-year big league veteran and former All-Star Jack Wilson was his skipper with Greeneville, helping him peel back the curtain on what Major League preparation looks like.

“When I talked to Jack Wilson, he goes, ‘Tim, I'm telling you, this kid, he's gonna be a little different for you. He's a good player,’” Corbin said. “I said, ‘OK, Jack, not to compare people, but I said you have a first-rounder who plays shortstop in your own home [Jacob, sixth overall pick of the A’s in 2023].’ I said, ‘How do you compare [Brodie] to [Jacob] and he said, ‘Well, [Brodie’s] stronger and there's just things he can do that my son couldn't do at the same time.’”

“I learned so much. Anything from defense and hitting, I mean, he's the guy,” Johnston said of the elder Wilson. “Anything I did wrong, he corrected me and it wasn't like, ‘you're doing this horrible’ and all that. It was like he's genuinely trying to help me.”

Johnston sat on the top step of the dugout during Vandy’s opening weekend at the 2025 Desert Invitational after he sustained a small fracture in one of his fingers after being hit by a pitch during a live batting practice session. He was days away from seeing his name on a Corbin-led lineup card for the first time after years of imagining the moment.

• Subscribe to the MLB Pipeline Newsletter

Goals for his freshman campaign? Johnston explained that he isn’t interested in setting expectations, deferring instead to the continual improvement that received a turbo boost during the Appy League. He’ll next be Draft-eligible in 2027, but for now, he’ll revel in knowing that his family need only take a short drive to watch him don the black and gold.

“He's just built differently mentally,” Corbin said of Johnston. “He's very confident. Even the way he speaks to me, he's very respectful, but there's just a different feeling with him when he speaks to adults. He's not awed by anything. He has respect for everything, but you can tell by how he handles things, he's very comfortable in his own skin.”