March 19, 2015
VANDERBILT RE-VU
Vanderbilt rolled over Tennessee Tech with a 9-1 win on Tuesday. Bryan Reynolds singled three times and drove in two runs in the win. The Commodores finished off the team’s second series sweep with their fifth shutout and fifth walk-off win with a 1-0 win over Arkansas Sunday. Dansby Swanson played the hero with a bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth. Vanderbilt swept a doubleheader from Arkansas to open SEC play on Saturday. The Dores rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings in the first game, eventually winning on a Rhett Wiseman walk-off triple. Walker Buehler dominated the nightcap with six strong innings in VU’s 9-1 win.
ON THE BUMP
Friday, March 20
RHP Carson Fulmer (3-0, 1.91) vs. RHP Keegan Thompson (3-2, 4.11)
Saturday, March 21
RHP Walker Buehler (1-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Trey Wingenter (1-1, 3.24)
Sunday, March 22
RHP Jordan Sheffield (3-0, 1.75) vs. RHP Rocky McCord (1-1, 2.67)
GONE WITH THE RHETT
Rhett Wiseman was named SEC Player of the Week and TSWA Player of the week after the junior posted a monster week. Wiseman hit .526 (10-for-17) with seven runs scored and eight RBI while slugging 1.105 and posting a .654 on-base percentage. The Mansfield, Mass. native belted a pair of home runs as part of his six extra-base hits during the Commodores’ perfect 5-0 week. Wiseman saw his 13-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday along with his streak of five straight games with at least two hits. During his 13-game hitting streak, Wiseman recorded nine multi-hit games – including two four-hit games – to help him go 30-for-54 (.556).
TOP SHEFF
Redshirt freshman Jordan Sheffield’s first two career starts were memorable ones last week and good enough to earn him TSWA Pitcher of the Week honors. The right-hander turned in 13 scoreless innings in his first two collegiate starts, scattering five hits and striking out seven as the Dores won both games. He notched his third win of the season on Tuesday in a 9-2 win over Quinnipiac in his first-ever start allowing only two Bobcats to advance past first base. On Sunday, Sheffield tossed a career-best and team-high seven innings in a no decision against Arkansas. With the Razorbacks’ Trey Killian throwing a perfect game, the freshman matched him zero for zero on the scoreboard until the Commodores walked off with the 1-0 win in the bottom of the ninth inning.
BACK ON THE PLAINS
Vanderbilt returns to Auburn for the first time since 2013 when the Commodores swept the Tigers for the second straight time on The Plains. The Dores have won 10 of the last 12 meetings with Auburn dating back to 2010, winning all four series. The Commodores are 56-92-1 against Auburn all time dating back to 1912.
CARDIAC COMMODORES… AGAIN
Through 20 games this season the Dores have had a flair for the dramatic, posting five walk-off wins of the team’s 16 victories. Twice against Arkansas over the weekend Vanderbilt rallied in the ninth to come back to beat the Razorbacks and add to the squad’s walk-off win total. VU rallied for four runs in the ninth of Saturday’s first game of a doubleheader to set up Rhett Wiseman’s walk-off triple in the 12th inning. Dansby Swanson got in on the walk-off fun on Sunday afternoon with a bases loaded walk-off single up the middle to beat the Hogs 1-0. The Dores had just two walk-off wins all of last season, both coming in the postseason.
TAKE YOUR TIME
So far this season the Commodores have took their time, averaging 3 hours, 16 minutes per game through the team’s first 21 contests. The Dores already have four, four-plus hour games under their belt, including Saturday’s marathon 4 hour, 54 minute game against Arkansas that started a doubleheader that featured a total of 8 hours, 9 minutes of game time.
