Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin arrived to see his prized prospect and took a seat beside 12 general managers of professional clubs.

It was a spot he had been in before. After all, Corbin had retained commitments for the Commodores despite Major League teams trying to sway them to turn pro out of high school.

But this time was a little different.

“The 12 general managers there were from the NHL,” Corbin said. “It was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever seen. I never felt I was going to lose him, but it was kind of an awkward feeling knowing that the kid you had recruited to play baseball was the captain of the best hockey team in the country.”

The site was a 2013 premier Christmas high school hockey tournament in Dedham, Mass. Corbin was there to see Will Toffey — a defenseman for the No. 1 ranked Salisbury (Conn.) School — face his alma mater Kimball Union Academy on the ice.

Corbin left with reassurance that Toffey would choose Vanderbilt baseball over numerous Ivy League hockey scholarship offers and professional potential.

More than a year later, Toffey, a starting third baseman as a freshman, is among three current Commodores with impressive hockey resumes. Redshirt freshman Tyler Green, who plays first and third base, served as captain of a New York state champion hockey team at Williamsville North High in Buffalo. Freshman outfielder Jeren Kendall was a standout hockey player in Wisconsin while earning state player of the year honors twice in baseball.

All three chose the Vanderbilt diamond over the ice elsewhere.

“My brother (John) played baseball and hockey in college, and he was drafted (by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning), so I knew I could try to do both,” Toffey said. “But he told me to pick one and run with it, and that was baseball for me.”

Like Toffey, Green came from a hockey family. His father played professional hockey in Europe, and his brother was drafted by two junior leagues. But Green, a 6-foot-6, 230-pounder, was also a standout tight end/defensive end in football.

“I never even thought about having to choose a sport until I started hearing from (colleges), and then I chose baseball,” Green said. “If I could still play the other two, I would. Obviously, I can’t.”

Green said his favorite high school memory remains leading his team to an undefeated hockey season and state title. Toffey carries a similar perspective of his second favorite sport.

“Winning the New England championship, that was my best memory of any sport,” Toffey said. “It was my last hockey game ever. We won, and I was a senior captain. It was also the last time I skated.”

Kendall, whose father was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, saw hockey as a change of pace from his baseball roots. But unlike his Vanderbilt teammates, his memories of the ice aren’t all precious.

In high school, four of Kendall’s front teeth were busted out and another was chipped by a high stick on his make-shift backyard ice rink.

“It was a freak accident, just a stick to the mouth,” Kendall said. “I got hit, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s a lot of blood.’ “

The risk of injuries never deterred any of the three from playing hockey. And for Corbin, who prefers multi-sport athletes, it was actually a positive in recruiting.

“It’s one of the first questions I ask (recruits): What other sports do you play?” Corbin said. “Not that it’s a bummer when someone says, ‘I just play baseball.’ But, well, it’s kind of a bummer. I want to hear that they enjoy another sport, and if it’s a crash-and-bang sport, it’s even more appealing.”

Green, Kendall and Toffey have little time or opportunity to skate, but they still keep up with the NHL. Green follows his hometown Buffalo Sabres. Kendall roots for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Toffey likes the Boston Bruins. But all three said they are warming up to the Nashville Predators.

“I was following the Preds before they were put out (of the playoffs). I’ve been to a couple of games,” Green said. “When you think of Nashville, Tennessee, you think of the south, but the atmosphere at the Preds games is one of the best in the league. The Preds are really fun to watch.”

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.