March 30, 2018
The latest news and notes surrounding the Vanderbilt Commodores:
VUCommodores.com: Vanderbilt Athletics hosted members of the Cleveland-based Horvitz YouthAbility program on campus this week as part of the group’s Spring Break trip to walk in the footsteps of SEC trailblazer Perry Wallace. The Horvitz group, comprised of 50 individuals living with Down syndrome and other exceptionalities, read the Young Readers edition of STRONG INSIDE and bused to Nashville to visit Wallace’s alma mater, Pearl High School, among other stops. The group later presented Vanderbilt athletics director David Williams with a donation earmarked for the Perry E. Wallace Basketball Scholarship Fund, which was established by Williams and his family earlier this year.
NCAA: The NCAA Women’s Bowling Committee selected Vanderbilt to participate in the 2018 NCAA Bowling Championship April 12-14 at the Tropicana Lanes in St. Louis. The berth in the championship field marks the 13th consecutive year the Commodores have earned an invitation. The No. 4 seed Dores will take on No. 5 Sam Houston State in the first round. Vanderbilt assistant bowling coach Josie Barnes previewed NCAAs on this week’s Commodore Insider Podcast.
Vanderbilt Hustler: Max Schneider spotlights Vanderbilt junior wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, who looked the part of the Commodores’ No. 1 receiver in last Saturday’s Spring Showcase.
Twitter: Former NFL coach Tony Dungy recognized the late Perry Wallace this week.
You can see “Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace” this weekend in NYC and L.A. It’s a powerful documentary on how Wallace integrated basketball in the SEC in the 60’s. Without him we wouldn’t have the March Madness we’re watching now. #perrywallacefilm pic.twitter.com/AgiK9r37rR
 Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) March 27, 2018
SEC: Vanderbilt’s Mason Hickman was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week after helping the Commodores to a series win against LSU. The freshman blanked the No. 19 Tigers as part of a seven-inning, complete game performance to clinch a 1-0 victory. The win moved Vanderbilt to 5-1 in the SEC, matching Georgia for the best start in conference action.
SEC: Faculty members from each SEC university have been named recipients of the 2018 SEC Faculty Achievement Award, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced this week. The awards, now in their seventh year, honor one individual from each SEC university who has excelled in teaching and research. The honors included Vanderbilt’s Dr. Kathleen Gould, Associate Dean for Biomedical Sciences and the Louise B. McGavock Endowed Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.
Twitter: The New York Yankees featured one of their own in former Vanderbilt pitcher Sonny Gray.
“Zero fear.”
Catch the full-length version of “Origins: Sonny Gray” over on our YouTube channel: https://t.co/7MwZtP5hhB pic.twitter.com/r9KekAElWW
 New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 28, 2018
Behind The Plate Softball: Former Washington Huskies’ softball standout Casey Stangel is assisting the Vanderbilt baseball team this season. The former All-Pac-12 honoree is now learning the ropes of coaching from Tim Corbin and his staff.
Detroit Lions: The Lions announced the signing of former Vanderbilt offensive lineman Wesley Johnson, who spent the past three seasons with the New York Jets. Congrats, Wes!
