Vanderbilt Commodores (19-3, 3-0 SEC) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (16-5, 1-2 SEC)
Game 1 (DH): Saturday, March 23 @ Noon CT • SECN+
Game 2 (DH): Saturday, March 23 @ TBA • SECN+
Game 3: Sunday, March 24 @ 12:30 p.m. CT • SECN+
Columbia, S.C. • Founders Park
UPDATE: Friday’s game has been moved due to rain. Vanderbilt and South Carolina will now play a doubleheader Saturday with Game 1 beginning at noon CT. Click here for more info.
Series Preview: Vanderbilt takes a 14-game win streak on the road to Founders Park in Columbia, South Carolina, for a three-game series against South Carolina.
- The Commodores rose to No. 3 in the D1Baseball.com poll after a sweep over ranked Auburn last weekend at Hawkins Field. Vandy is ranked top-five in every major poll. South Carolina is ranked in the NCBWA and Baseball America polls.
- Vanderbilt trails South Carolina in the all-time series, 41-62, but leads the series 36-32 under head coach Tim Corbin (since 2003).
- The Commodores won the series in Nashville last season, taking the final two games after dropping the series opener. Vandy’s last series win in Columbia came in 2019 when the Dores swept the Gamecocks.
Last Time Out: Vanderbilt swept its weekend series over No. 18 Auburn at Hawkins Field. The Dores totaled 33 runs on 47 hits in the series.
- Alan Espinal was named SEC Player of the Week after going 8-for-13 vs. Auburn with two doubles and four RBI. Espinal also homered in Vandy’s midweek victory vs. Indiana on March 12.
- Carter Holton turned in a quality start Friday vs. Auburn, going seven innings with one run allowed and nine strikeouts.
- Jayden Davis went 8-for-14 vs. Auburn with a triple, double, six runs scored and five RBI. Jonathan Vastine went 7-for-13 with a home run, triple, two doubles and seven RBI.
- On Tuesday, Vanderbilt beat Belmont 3-1 at First Horizon Park. Logan Poteet homered and Davis Diaz had a team-high two hits. Ethan McElvain tossed four shutout innings.
Stat Spotlights: Vanderbilt ranks top-10 in NCAA DI in hits, doubles and stolen bases entering the weekend.
- The Dores lead the SEC and are seventh nationally in hits (245). Vandy ranks second in the SEC and 15th nationally in batting average (.326).
- Vandy is first in the SEC and sixth in DI with 53 stolen bases. RJ Austin is 2nd in the SEC and fourth in DI with 15. Calvin Hewett is third in the SEC and 8th in DI with 14. Jacob Humphrey has eight stolen bases this season and is tied for third among active DI players with 86 career steals.
- Vanderbilt has stolen 53 bases on 58 attempts while allowing just seven steals.
Scoring Early: Vanderbilt has scored 54 of its 192 runs in the first two innings this season.
- Vandy is outscoring its opponents 28-9 in the first inning and 26-6 in the second inning.
- The Dores are 9-1 when they score in the first frame and 12-1 when scoring first.
