NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Postseason baseball returns to Hawkins Field on Friday as the Nashville Regional gets underway. Oregon and Xavier will kick things off at noon followed by Vanderbilt and Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m.
NASHVILLE REGIONAL: Vanderbilt was named the No. 6 seed in the 2023 NCAA Baseball Division I Championship. The Commodores are hosting Eastern Illinois, Oregon and Xavier in the Nashville Regional at Hawkins Field this weekend.
- Vanderbilt is hosting for the ninth time in program history and will have the opportunity to host the super regional round should they advance.
- The Nashville Regional is paired with the Stillwater Regional, hosted by Oklahoma State.
- The Nashville Regional is the only one in the field in which all four programs won their respective conference tournaments.
- Vanderbilt is making its 17th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the longest active streak in D-I.
- The Commodores won 12 games against regional hosts, second-most in the country behind Florida (13).
WELCOME TO NASHVILLE: Vanderbilt has hosted two of the regional’s three teams in the postseason before.
- Oregon and Xavier were each in the 2014 Nashville Regional. Vanderbilt defeated Oregon twice and would go on to win the school’s first national championship.
- The Commodores are 4-0 vs. Eastern Illinois with the last meeting coming in 2016.
- Vandy and Oregon will play for the first time since 2014. The all-time series is tied 4-4.
- The Dores last faced Xavier in the 2016 Nashville Regional and lead the all-time series 8-3.
SEC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS: Vanderbilt defeated Texas A&M, 10-4, on Sunday to claim its fourth SEC Tournament title, third under head coach Tim Corbin.
- Vanderbilt went 4-1 at the tournament and outscored its opponents 39-22.
- Freshman RJ Austin was named tournament MVP after going 7-for-18 at the plate with a home run, two doubles and five RBIs.
- Fellow freshman Chris Maldonado also had a strong performance, going 7-for-10 with four RBIs in three games.
- The Commodores held opposing hitters to a .215 average while hitting .305 themselves. Thomas Schultz didn’t allow a run through 5.2 innings over two appearances.
- Vandy tallied wins over three regional hosts (Auburn, Alabama, Florida) en route to the championship.
SEC HONORS: Five Commodores earned postseason recognition from the SEC.
- Enrique Bradfield Jr., Devin Futrell and Nick Maldonado were named second team All-SEC.
- Bradfield, along with Davis Diaz, was named to the All-Defensive team.
- RJ Austin was named Freshmen All-SEC.
- Enrique Bradfield Jr. was named to the 2023 SEC Community Service Team.
