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Baseball Hosts Belmont Tuesday
4/19/2005
The Vanderbilt baseball team will play host to intra-city rival Belmont Tuesday at Charlie Hawkins Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Below are game notes for the Commodores, who currently hold a record of 23-11, 7-8 in the SEC.
Vanderbilt Baseball Notes:
RYAN MULLINS NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK (April 18)
Vanderbilt left-hander Ryan Mullins (6-6, 189, Jr., Nashville, Tenn.) has been named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Mullins remained undefeated after a 2-1 victory over #4 South Carolina to clinch the series with the Gamecocks. It was the first series win in school history over USC in Columbia and only the second ever. Vanderbilt took the 1996 series, 2-1, in Nashville. The Commodores had won only one of the last 25 matchups against the Gamecocks prior to Friday’s 11-3 victory and had lost 12 consecutive games in Columbia.
Mullins was one out away from a complete game vs. the Gamecocks. He went 8.2 innings and allowed only five hits – all singles – and did not allow an earned run (USC scored after a runner reached on an error). He struck out seven and now totals 201 career strikeouts and has moved into 9th place on the VU All-Time Strikeout List.
He is the third Commodore player, second pitcher, to earn SEC Player of the Week honors this season. Junior right-hander Jensen Lewis earned Pitcher of the Week Feb. 21and junior first baseman Mike Baxter earned Player of the Week honors April 4.
It is the second time Mullins has been named SEC Pitcher of the Week in his career. Last season, he earned the honor Feb. 23, 2004.
VANDERBILT TAKES SERIES FROM #4 SOUTH CAROLINA
? The Commodores took the weekend series from South Carolina with a 11-3 win Friday and a 2-1 win Saturday. USC won the Sunday game, 7-4. It is only VU’s second series win over the Gamecocks and the first ever in Columbia, SC. Vanderbilt had lost 12 consecutive games in Columbia prior to the Friday win. The Commodores had won only one of the last 25 matchups prior to the Friday game – last season’s Friday night game when Jeremy Sowers allowed eight hits in an 8-2 victory at Hawkins Field.
? Junior right-hander Jensen Lewis pitched his first career complete game of the season in the Friday 11-3 win. He retired the last 16 consecutive batters he faced. Lewis is now 6-1 and owns a 1.83 ERA.
? Junior left-hander Ryan Mullins went a season-high 8.2 innings in Saturday’s 2-1 victory. He allowed one unearned run on five hits – all singles – and struck out seven. Mullins now totals 201 career strikeouts and has moved into 9th place on the Vanderbilt All-Time Strikeout List.
? VU pitchers totaled 26 strikeouts in the USC series, led by Jensen Lewis with nine, David Price with eight and Ryan Mullins with seven.
? The Commodores hit five home runs in the series, led by Brian Hernandez with two.
More Vanderbilt Notes:
? Mike Baxter led VU with a .538 (7-13) hitting percentage in the South Carolina series. He scored once and totaled three RBI, including the game-winning RBI in VU’s 2-1 Saturday. For the week, he went 9-17 at the plate and helping lead Vanderbilt to a 3-1 record, including the series win at South Carolina. He had the game-winning RBI in the seventh inning in the 2-1 Saturday victory to clinch the series. He was intentionally walked in the ninth inning with a runner on second base. In Friday’s game, he collected two hits and scored in the final inning. With the Commodores down 6-0, Baxter scored the game-tying run at 6-6 against Western Kentucky. He scored three runs and drove in two in that contest and was 2-2 in stolen bases.
? Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin owns a 95-58 overall record in his three seasons at Vanderbilt. Corbin’s teams are 13-12 in SEC series, inclucing a 3-2 mark this season (wins over Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina; losses to Mississippi State and Arkansas).
? Vanderbilt is 6-2 in one-run games.
? VU has come back to win eight games this season. The largest comeback was a 6-0 deficit vs. Western Kentucky (April 12). VU scored nine unanswered runs to defeat the Hilltoppers 9-6.
? Mike Baxter (first), Warner Jones (second) and Antoan Richardson (centerfield) are the only Commodores to start every game this season at their position.
? Freshman shortstop/designated hitter Dominic de la Osa is on a seven-game hitting streak. Warner Jones and Hernandez own the longest hit streak of the season at 10 games.
? Baxter and Jones each have 18 multiple hit games. Baxter has eight multiple RBI games, followed by Hernandez and Jones with six each.
? After missing seven games due to an abdominal sprain, senior third baseman Tony Mansolino played in all four games last week and was 4-17 at the plate with one homerun and three RBI. His homerun in the fourth inning of the Saturday South Carolina game tied the game at 1-1. Senior outfielder Matt Zeller, who also missed the Arkansas series with an abdominal sprain, owned a .364 average in the last four games (4-11) scoring four runs and driving in three. With the score tied at 3-3 in Friday’s USC game, Zeller hit first home run of the season – a two-run shot over dead center field – to give VU a 5-3 lead enroute to the win. He also scored the game-winning run in Saturday’s game on an infield hit by Baxter.
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