May 30, 2012
Another year, another postseason appearance for Vanderbilt’s baseball team.
It seems like yesterday the Commodores were on the way to their first ever trip to the College World Series.
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by Brandon Barca (Archive) Twitter updates @brandonbarca |
One year later, Tim Corbin’s bunch united in difficult times to become the seventh consecutive Vanderbilt team to make an NCAA Regional. Quite the accomplishment (and one never to take for granted).
The Road to Omaha starts quietly for the Commodores on campus Wednesday morning, as if it was just another day on Planet Earth. One media outlet (Fox17) captures the scene as players load luggage underneath the bus. A handful of fans offer words of encouragement to show their support.
It’s 10 a.m. sharp. Nobody on the team is late for fear of being left behind (it’s happened before). Equipment manager Garrett Walker does one last check with senior leader Drew Fann to make sure every student-athlete on the 27-man roster is accounted for on the bus.
“Fann, we good?” Walker shouts to the back.
Fann confirms and we are on our way to Nashville International Airport.
Travel attire? Casual. The team sports black polos with the gold Star V logo sewn onto the left side of the chest. Matching Nike pants with white piping complete the all-black combination.
One of the benefits of postseason travel days is players get to grow facial hair. Freshman pitcher Philip Pfeifer gets the most glances for his pencil-thin mustache, possibly paying homage to part-time Commodore radio announcer Eric “Stooche” Jones, who couldn’t make the regional journey due to a wedding in Charlottesville, Va.
How long has Pfeifer had his stache? “Counting this morning? Today,” quips Kyle Parkinson, Director of Baseball Communications.
We arrive on the tarmac at 10:08 a.m. and get a glimpse of our next ride, a Delta regional jet that seats around 50. Now I know why we were asked to pack light.
The jet might be crammed on the inside, but it’s an upgrade compared to the regular season. It’s the Commodores’ first charter flight since Omaha. The team flew commercial for the season opener at Stanford in February, and rented sleeper buses for longer road trips like LSU.
Junior shortstop Anthony Gomez approves. “Chartered flight to North Carolina. #VandyBoys traveling in style,” he tweets.
The coaching staff takes up the first four rows with staff directly behind them and players in the back. Gomez decides to move to the front and finds an open seat next to volunteer assistant coach Larry Day.
“I’d love to bug Larry for a few hours,” jokes Gomez as he buckles in next to Day.
Fann takes the same route, giving one staffer the chance to unload his comedy material on the fifth-year senior. “You belong up here, Fann. You’re the same age as us.”
A blue lunch bag, full of goodies, hangs on the back of every seat. Inside you’ll find a turkey and cheddar sandwich, Doritos, banana, granola bar, brownie, water and Gatorade.
Some players spend time playing games on their mobile devices like Scramble with Friends. Tweets fly around, too, as well as smack talk between guys defending their favorite Major League teams.
Once the plane lifts off, chatter fades away and many onboard decide to catch up on sleep. Window shades are pulled down to block the sunlight peaking into the aircraft.
The trip takes only one hour and 15 minutes, but we lose an additional hour due to the change to the Eastern Time Zone. It’s a cool 76 degrees on the ground in Raleigh, N.C.
Our new bus driver, Mr. Mike, welcomes us to the state capitol.
“I’ll take you where you need to go… (pauses) legally,” he says over the intercom. Every good tour guide is required to have a sense of humor, right?
We make it to Hyatt Place at 2:20 p.m. ET. Corbin addresses the team briefly before checking into the hotel. “We’re going over to Durham in one hour to practice,” he said. “Wear your BP hat, your gold top, black shorts and white cleats. You have a little while to unwind before we get back on the bus.”
Strength coach Gabe Teeple also reminds the squad to grab a bite to eat since dinner isn’t until later tonight. The popular (and probably only choice) is the bakery in the front lobby.
The hour flies by and we reload the bus en route to Duke’s Jack Coombs Field for practice. The facility has been the Blue Devils home stadium since 1931 and is located just up the hill from historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke only plays midweek games at Jack Coombs, which is covered in synthetic turfâ€â€ a look fans will see at Hawkins Field next season. The Blue Devils reserve Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, for weekend series.
On our way to the stadium, Mr. Mike accidentally takes us on the scenic route to Duke. Actually, he gets lost in The Triangle (let’s call it The Bermuda Triangle at this point). An hour later, we make it to the ballpark. If you need directions around town, I’m your guy now.
Freshmen and student managers unload gear off the bus, including several buckets of baseballsâ€â€ some marked for throwing, others for Fungo.
The coaches post a detailed timeline of the schedule inside the dugout. Players walk byâ€â€ in black socks (reminiscent of Michigan’s Fab Five)â€â€ to see where they need to be for each activity.
Corbin brings the team together to set the tone for the session. “Let’s get it going,” states the head coach as the team breaks for stretches in left field.
The first drill? Hitters have one shot to lay down a bunt while other players run the bases. Everyone shuffles through with Corbin relaying signals prior to each pitch. You can see why the Commodores have been so successful in this area in games, especially during their red-hot run in May. Every fundamental is important, even for college athletes. They take pride in doing the little things to win.
Next, activities include catch play, team drill, square drill, and defense. Watching each round is a thing of beauty. Every player has a specific role with every inch of space utilized on the field. Catchers throw to third, short hops are hit to first, and outfielders make plays from left to second. A few minutes later, infielders take slow rollers at third and throw to first, while outfielders show off their canons from right to home plate. Pitchers work on PFP drills, including fielding bunts, throwing to bases and covering first.
Everything moves fast. Coaches signal the start of a new activity and seconds later, it’s underway. Everyone has a business-like attitude, but the guys are loose, too.
In between one of the drills, Gomez wants a taste of what it’s like to be catcher. He spends a minute or so pretending to gun down would-be stealers at second (and even darts a few from his knees ala Benito Santiago). “Don’t get too comfortable back there,” cracks assistant coach Josh Holliday.
The team eventually transitions to live BP for the last part of practice with Day and Holliday rotating the pitching duties.
After one stint in the cage, sophomore second baseman Tony Kemp whispers with dry humor as I film the action. “Good job. You’re doing a good job.” Kemp obviously hasn’t seen my work.
Practice lasts just over two hours as the sun starts to go down. Corbin asks his team to leave the facility “looking better than when we got here.”
The trip back to the hotel was a lot quickerâ€â€ 28 minutes to be exact. It’s 7:15 as the Commodores arrive in front of the Hyatt.
Corbin announces that they will take the bus to an area mall with several dining establishments. He asks everyone what time they’d like to leave. The consensus is eight o’clock.
Corbin then states that morning departure is set for 10:45. This is when the Commodores will get their first look at Doak Field, site of the Raleigh Regional.
To keep things loose, Corbin closes his briefing with an inside joke. “Now, I’ve got one guy who wants to say something. He’s been waiting to say something for a long time. Coach Walker…”
Walker takes the stage.
“Yeah guys, real quick. Can I have your attention?” says VU’s equipment manager, in a much deeper voice. “Just bring all your damn laundry to 504. We’ll get it cleaned for you, okay?”
The crowd obliges, filling the bus with applause and laughter.
Laundry never seemed so energizing.
And with that, I bid you goodnight from the Hyatt.
(Photo credit: VU_RallyBeaver)
