NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt baseball team is set to hit the road this weekend, traveling to Athens for an SEC series at No. 22 Georgia.
The three-game series is set to begin with a 5:30 p.m. CT first pitch Friday followed by an 1 p.m. CT first pitch in Saturday’s contest. The series finale between the two teams is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT Sunday. The first two games of the three-game set will be streamed on SEC Network+, while the series finale will be televised on SEC Network.
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
FRIDAY: Vandy – TBA vs. Georgia – Jr., RHP Nolan Crisp (1-2, 4.72)
SATURDAY: Vandy – Jr., RHP Chris McElvain (5-3, 3.53) vs. Georgia – Jr., RHP Jonathan Cannon (8-1, 2.04)
SUNDAY: Vandy – Fr., LHP Carter Holton (5-3, 4.23) vs. Georgia – So., LHP Liam Sullivan (3-2, 5.12)
Trending
• Vanderbilt are looking to bounce back after losing two straight. Vandy dropped the series finale against Texas A&M before falling to Louisville in the midweek.
• The loss to Louisville snapped a 28-game winning streak in midweek home games for Vanderbilt, which dated to March 2019. The Dores had also won nine consecutive midweek matchups overall prior to suffering the setback on Tuesday.
• Vanderbilt has won two of its last three SEC series, including picking up its first road conference series two weeks at Kentucky. The Commodores won the bookend games of the three-game set against the Wildcats.
Starting From Behind
• Vanderbilt has had to battle back in most of its SEC games recently after falling to early deficits.
• The opponent has scored first in 11 of the last 15 conference games against the Commodores, which spans across Vandy’s last five SEC series.
• Vanderbilt 4-9 in conference action when opponents score first. The opponent has scored first in nine of Vanderbilt’s 11 losses in conference action.
Leadoff Production
• The Commodores have had significant success in games where leadoff man Enrique Bradfield Jr. scores a run.
• In SEC play, the Vanderbilt offense is averaging 7.5 runs (14 games) in games when Bradfield scores at least one run, while averaging 2.3 runs (seven games) in the contests he does not score.
• Nine of Vanderbilt’s 11 losses in conference action have come when the offense scores three runs or less.
• The Commodores own a 10-4 record in SEC play when Bradfield scores, and are 0-7 in conference action when the sophomore outfielder does not score.
Series History
•. Friday’s series opener will mark the 242nd time that Vanderbilt and Georgia have met in the all-time history between the two programs.
• The Commodores trail in the all-time series, with a 118-123 record against the Bulldogs.
The Kommodores
• The Vanderbilt pitching staff has totaled 474 strikeouts on the season, averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
• The Commodores rank third in the nation in strikeouts per nine, while placing first in the SEC.
• The duo of Carter Holton and Chris McElvain are both ranked in the top 10 of the SEC in strikeouts. Holton ranks third with 76 and McElvain sits at fifth with 74.
What’s Next
• Following the series with Georgia, Vanderbilt will return home to face Indiana State in the midweek on Tuesday.
• The Commodores will head to Fayetteville next weekend to face Arkansas on the road for an SEC series.
