Jan. 12, 2012
Big League Campers
With major league baseball spring training camps scheduled to open in a little over a month a couple of newly professional former Commodores have earned coveted spots in their respective big league camps.
Oakland has invited the team’s first round selection and former Vandy star Sonny Gray to major league camp in Phoenix. After signing with the A’s late last summer Gray reported to Double-A Midland and lit up the Texas League going 1-0 in five starts with 18 strikeouts in 20 innings and a 0.45 ERA.
Curt Casali will be joining the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla. next month. Casali, the Tigers’ 10th round pick last summer, played at two different levels in the Detroit system last season ending the year with Single-A West Michigan.
Another former Commodore that will be headed to big league camp is Ryan Flaherty but he will be headed to camp with a new team this spring. After spending the first four years of his career with the Chicago Cubs, the team that selected him in the first round in 2008, Flaherty will head to sunny Florida with the Baltimore Orioles this spring. The O’s selected the former Dore in December’s Rule 5 draft, which means Flaherty must be on the Orioles’ roster for the entire 2012 season or be offered back to the Cubs. Long story short, it is very likely Flaherty sticks with Baltimore this season. With the addition of Flaherty, signing of Antoan Richardson and drafting of Jason Esposito the Orioles are trying to become the Baltimore Commodores.
Fann earns post-graduate scholarship
Senior catcher Drew Fann earned the nod as the Vanderbilt male representative for the Southeastern Conference Brad David Community Service post-graduate scholarship. Fann is a two-time member of the SEC All-Community Service team and received his undergraduate degree in Human and Organizational Development last spring.
Autographs Saturday
The team will be in attendance for Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Georgia. Fans can meet the team, pick up a schedule poster and get autographs during half time in the practice gym.
Baseball Banquet is February 4
The Commodores will hold the team’s annual banquet February 4 at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center across from Memorial Gym at 7 p.m. Fans are welcomed to come meet the team as Head Coach Tim Corbin introduces the players and talks about the upcoming season. Hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and sodas will be served. For ticket information click here.
Practice around the corner for Dores
Vanderbilt begins practice January 27 in preparation for the 2012 season. The Commodores’ season begins with a three-game trip to the west coast to take on third-ranked Stanford. Hawkins Field hosts the Dores’ home opener February 22 when Oakland visits Nashville. The home opener marks the first of 14 straight games in Nashville for the Commodores before opening SEC play at top-ranked Florida.
