May 7, 2012
The history between Vanderbilt’s and Louisville’s baseball programs dates to 1971 when the Commodores defeated the Cardinals, 3-0. The teams would meet off and on until 2008 when Louisville visited Vanderbilt for a midweek game that the Commodores would win, 17-6.
It was a big win for Vanderbilt since the Cardinals were coming off an appearance in the 2007 College World Series, but no one could have predicted how closely connected the two programs would become from that point on.
Louisville had established itself as a prominent program in the BIG EAST and Vanderbilt was annually among the top teams in the SEC. With the success of both programs and close proximity of the two campuses (175 miles), it became only natural for the two to play one another during the regular season. And that’s exactly what has taken place each year since 2008. But what began as a typical midweek game has evolved into something much larger – a true rivalry.
The rivalry began to take shape in 2009 when the two teams would meet in the NCAA Regionals with Louisville eliminating the Commodores. In 2010, the rivalry reached a fevered pitch.
The annual midweek game was played just days after the devastating Nashville flood and Vanderbilt officials allowed free admission to the game. From the game, more than $20,000 was donated to the Red Cross for flood relief efforts.
On the field, the game lasted into the late hours of the night and finally concluded with a dramatic walk-off home run by Jason Esposito in the 17th inning.
Esposito’s walk-off would just be the appetizer for things to come. The two teams would meet in the NCAA Regionals for a second straight season in Louisville. After dropping the first meeting to the Cardinals, Vanderbilt would battle back and defeat Louisville twice to advance to the Super Regionals. The winning run came on a sacrifice bunt by Connor Harrell in the 10th inning.
This season, the rivalry will take on a name of its own as the two teams meet at 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday in the first Battle of the Barrel. The barrel (see below) signifies Kentucky’s history as a bourbon-making state and Tennessee’s history as a whiskey-making state. Each year, the winning team will be presented with the barrel.
The first 500 fans at Tuesday’s game will also receive a Vanderbilt t-shirt courtesy of Nashville State Farm agent Scott Koon.
Tickets start at $7 for Tuesday’s game and can be purchased by calling 615-322-GOLD (4653) or by ordering online by clicking here.
