NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt closes its fall season Thursday when the Commodores begin the first of two games at Hawkins Field as part of its annual Black and Gold Series. The opener is set for 5 p.m. Thursday, as is Friday’s game.
Each contest will be a seven-inning affair and if the series is tied the Commodores will play a winner-take-all, two-inning tiebreaker Friday.
The Black and Gold series is free to attend. All season ticket holders can pick up one piece of the program’s former baseball turf – one per season ticket account.
Vanderbilt will also hold open training sessions at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday and 3:45 Wednesday which are also both open to the public.
The Commodores finished 1-1 in fall action including a 12-7 victory against Oklahoma State in Kansas City, Missouri. On Sunday, Vanderbilt fell 2-1 to Michigan in the David Williams Fall Classic, a celebration of Nashville’s deep roots in amateur and professional baseball.
True freshman Jack Leiter got the starting nod for the Commodores against Michigan, striking out four while walking two in two frames. Sam Hliboki faced six in two innings of work, fanning five of six batters faced.
In all, Commodore pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts and allowed three hits with one for extra bases against the Wolverines.
Vanderbilt’s highly touted pitching staff posted a 2.16 ERA and limited opponents to a .196 average in a combined 25 innings against Oklahoma State and Michigan. The Commodores have been led at the plate by Dominic Keegan (5-for-12) who has batted .417 and driven in three runs.
Vanderbilt opens the 2020 season Feb. 14 at the three-day MLB4 Collegiate Baseball Tournament which features Michigan, Connecticut and Cal Poly in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Commodores open their home slate with an 11-game homestand against South Alabama on Feb. 18-19.
