March 20, 2008
 |
|
VANDERBILT GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 4 Vanderbilt (12-4, 2-1 SEC) at Alabama (9-10, 0-3)
Sewell-Thomas Stadium (6,118) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Friday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. CT (TV: None; Radio: 560 AM)
Mike Minor (2-1, 2.08 ERA) vs. Austin Hyatt (2-1, 4.12) 
| Follow Live Stats
Saturday, March 22 at 4 p.m. CT (TV: None; Radio: 560 AM)
Caleb Cotham (3-0, 1.96 ERA) vs. Austin Graham (1-1, 2.20) | Follow Live Stats
Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. CT (TV: CSS; Radio: 560 AM)
Taylor Hill (1-0, 0.71 ERA) vs. TBA | Follow Live Stats
2008 STATISTICS
VU Game Notes | 2008 Statistics | SEC Standings & Leaders
Series History
Alabama leads 77-45-2 all-time in a series that dates back to 1893. Vanderbilt has won three out of the last four regular season series including last year’s in Nashville. The Crimson Tide swept the three game set in Tuscaloosa in 2006 en route to the SEC West title.
2007 Results (Nashville)
04/06/07 Vanderbilt 3, Alabama 0
04/07/07 Vanderbilt 4, Alabama 2
04/08/07 Alabama 5, Vanderbilt 3 (10)
Polls
Vanderbilt is ranked in all the national polls, with a high ranking of No. 4 by Rivals.com. Baseball America ranks the Dores No. 5, with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association ranking them No. 6. ESPN/Sports Weekly and Collegiate Baseball ranks VU No. 8 and No. 9 respectively this week. Alabama is not ranked. All of the National Polls can be found on page 6 of the release.
The Coaches
VU’s Tim Corbin is 211-112 in his sixth season as head coach. He is 6-6 against the Crimson Tide all-time. Alabama’s Jim Wells is 562-282 in his 14th season in Tuscaloosa. He is 756-371 in 19 years overall. Wells is 20-10 against Vanderbilt all-time.
Radio/TV/Internet
All three games will be broadcast on WNSR 560 AM in Nashville. In addition you can catch the internet version of the broadcast via www.vucommodores.com. Eric Jones will call the action this weekend. Sunday’s game will be televised regionally on CSS. Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Scott McClanahan (analysis) will provide commentary. Check local listings to see if it is broadcast in your area. Live stats can also be accessed through Vanderbilt Athletics official website.
What’s On Tap
Vanderbilt hits the road this weekend for the first time in over a month as the team takes on Alabama in a three-game Southeastern Conference series. The Commodores and Crimson Tide will open up on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and will continue on Saturday at 4 p.m. The teams will conclude the series in a regionally televised contest on CSS Sunday at 2 p.m.
Scouting Alabama
Alabama enters the weekend riding a five-game losing streak after getting swept at Kentucky in the SEC opener and losing two in midweek home action against New Orleans. The Crimson Tide are 9-10 overall and return seven starters from last year’s team that finished 31-26 and 15-15 in SEC play.
Sophomore outfielder Brandon May leads the team with a .386 batting average to go with two homers and 18 RBI. Junior utility man Alex Avila is the top power source with six homers and 19 RBI through 19 games. Alabama is hitting .302 as a team with 23 homers, 23 doubles and 138 runs scored (7.26 per game).
Junior right-hander Austin Hyatt (2-1, 4.12 ERA) will start for the Crimson Tide on Friday with sophomore right-hander Austin Graham (1-1, 2.20 ERA) scheduled to go on Saturday. Sunday’s starter is to be determined. As a team UA has a 5.48 ERA with 149 strikeouts and 95 walks in 164.1 innings
Harris Holds Steady
Redshirt sophomore Brian Harris has made the most of his playing time in place of the injured Pedro Alvarez at third base. Known for his steady defensive skills, Harris has not only lived up to those expectations, he has also impressed at the plate in 10 starts. The Montgomery Bell Academy graduate is hitting .371 with three doubles and 13 RBI heading into the weekend while also playing a perfect third base with no errors in 32 chances on the year. Playing for Vanderbilt is a family thing as Harris’ father, Robert, played for the Commodores (1976-79) and next season Brian will be joined by his brother Andrew who signed with VU in the fall.
Mt. Juliet Duo In Rotation
The duo of redshirt freshman Caleb Cotham and true freshman Taylor Hill will get the starts on the mound on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both right-handers are graduates of Mt. Juliet High School and have continued their high school success into their freshmen seasons. Cotham picked up two wins last week to move to 3-0 on the year with a 1.96 ERA, both team highs. In the rubber contest of the three-game series against South Carolina he came up big striking out nine Gamecocks in 5.2 innings in the 10-4 win. Cotham was relieved in that contest by Taylor Hill who pitched two innings of scoreless baseball, allowing two hits while striking out two. Hill is 1-0 on the year with a miniscule 0.71 ERA. He has 16 strikeouts and just five walks in 12.2 innings and will be making his first SEC start on Sunday.
Freshmen Shine On Mound
Cotham and Hill aren’t the only two freshmen right-handers enjoying success in the early part of the season.
Redshirt freshman Russell Brewer has been a consistent strike thrower out of the bullpen with 13 strikeouts and two walks in 10.1 innings. He picked up the win in relief against South Carolina last Friday and is 2-0 in six appearances with a save and 1.74 ERA.
True freshman Chase Reid has not allowed an unearned run in four relief outings on the year and enters the weekend with a 2-0 record in four relief outings. The Southlake, Texas native has 13 strikeouts and six walks in 12.1 innings and forms a solid duo with Brewer out of the pen.
Minor Named To Clemens Award Watch List
Sophomore left-hander Mike Minor is on the Clemens Award initial watch list. The award is given out to the top college pitcher in the country and was won by David Price a year ago.
Minor heads into Friday’s game with a 2-1 record and 2.08 ERA. He has 31 strikeouts and just seven walks in 30.1 innings pitched on the year. He struck out a career best 10 batters against South Carolina last Friday and finished with a no-decision. Minor gave up three runs on six hits in 8.2 innings with just one walk.
The Chapel Hill, Tenn., native went 9-1 with a 3.09 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 19 walks in 90.1 innings en route to Freshman All-American honors in 2007. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by sebaseball.com and also played on Team USA, finishing with a team best five wins and 1.64 ERA.
Big Inning Pushes Commodores Past Lipscomb
Vanderbilt used a seven run third inning to blow past Lipscomb 12-4 Wednesday night at Hawkins Field.
LU had a 2-1 lead in the third when VU exploded for seven runs to take an 8-2 lead. Steven Liddle had infield RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. Jonathan White had a RBI single and Brian Harris had a two-run single to make it 5-2. Alex Feinberg cleared a bases loaded situation with a double down the left field line that made it 8-2.
Both teams scored a run in both the sixth and seventh innings to put the score at 10-4. Lipscomb’s runs came on a fielder’s choice RBI and a wild pitch, while Vanderbilt scored on a throwing error in the sixth and on another Jonathan White RBI single in the seventh.
The Commodores closed out the scoring with two runs in the eighth on a Ryan Flaherty RBI single and a RBI double by Dominic de la Osa.
Feinberg had two hits and three RBI, while Jonathan White added two hits and two RBI. David Macias and Brad French also had two hits each to lead the 12 hit attack.
Redshirt freshman southpaw Richie Goodenow picked up the win in his first collegiate outing. He pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the third, striking out the side while walking two.
Mark Lamm gave up two runs, one earned, on a hit in four innings of work with five strikeouts and three walks in relief. Sean Bierman closed out the game striking out five on one hit in two innings of action.
Commodore Tidbits
Vanderbilt has won seven of its last eight and are now 13-4 overall and 2-1 in SEC play … The Commodores swept a two-game midweek series against Western Carolina and then took two of three over South Carolina over the weekend. Both teams were NCAA regional teams a year ago … VU finished a stretch of playing nine straight games against 2007 NCAA tourney teams and went 7-2 in that span … Vanderbilt closed out its 14-game home stand with a 11-3 record … VU hit .318 last week with seven homers, 11 doubles and 32 RBI. The pitching staff had a 4.41 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 19 walks in 49.0 innings … Andrew Giobbi went 9-for-21 (.429) with three doubles, a homer and 11 RBI in the five games. His grand-slam homer against South Carolina on Sunday iced the Commodores fourth straight regular season series win over the Gamecocks. Giobbi currently leads VU with nine doubles and 19 RBI … Cotham picked up a pair of wins for the Commodores in two starts last week, including the series clinching win over No. 5 South Carolina on Sunday. Cotham limited Western Carolina to one hit and an unearned run in four innings of work (staff start) on Tuesday and then came up big in his first ever SEC start. A day after South Carolina pounded out 18 hits and scored 16 runs, Cotham held the Gamecocks to two runs, one earned on five hits and tied a career high nine strikeouts with two walks in 5.2 innings of work. His line for the week: 2-0, 0.93 ERA, 9.2 innings pitched, 13 strikeouts, four walks, three runs, one earned. He leads the Commodores with a 3-0 record and 1.88 ERA overall with 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 24 innings … Vanderbilt took the season series over South Carolina for the four straight year and have nine of the last 13 meetings between the schools. Like last year, the teams went into extra innings on Friday with the Commodores repeating last year’s success with a 4-3 win in 13. Sophomore ace Mike Minor recorded a career best 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings with just one walk. He is 2-1 on the year with a 2.08 ERA and has 31 strikeouts and seven walks in 30.1 innings. The freshmen duo of Chase Reid and Russell Brewer kept the Gamecock offense in check with 2.2 and 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball on Friday. Brewer picked up the win, closing out the game to go to 2-0 on the season. Ryan Flaherty was the hitting star of the game going 5-for-6 with the game tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth and then had the game winning hit in the 13th. Flaherty finished the week 8-for-19 (.421) with a homer, two doubles and four RBI … True freshman Taylor Hill picked up the win in relief on Wednesday and struck out six in four innings of scoreless ball in two outings overall … Friday will be a busy day for Vanderbilt: The Diamond Dores play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, with the men’s basketball team tipping off at 6:20 against Siena in the opening round of the NCAA tourney … Former Vanderbilt ace and 2007 consensus Player of the Year David Price was sent to Single A Vero to start his professional career with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Pedro Alvarez Out
Junior third baseman Pedro Alvarez will be sidelined indefinitely with a hand injury. The National Player of the Year candidate and two-time first-team All-American has a broken bone in his hand that will force him out of action for a minimum of six weeks. He had successful surgery on Feb. 28.
Alvarez suffered the injury in his first at-bat against Oregon State in the season opener and was held out of the following two games against Arizona State and Miami (Ohio).
The New York City native is considered the top junior professional prospect by Baseball America and is on the initial Golden Spikes and Brooks Wallace Award Watch Lists. He has led the USA Baseball National Team in hitting over the last two summers.
Alvarez entered the year with a career .359 batting average to go with 40 homers, 36 doubles and 132 RBI. His 40 homers is sixth all-time in school history and nine away from tying Scotti Madison’s mark of 49 set in four seasons from 1977-80.
Alvarez is expected to be ready for action sometime in the first two weeks of April.
Players Pick Up Preseason Recognition
The preseason honors roll in for Vanderbilt baseball as three players were named to Baseball America’s and Rivals.com All-American teams.
Junior third baseman Pedro Alvarez headlined the group as Rivals.com Preseason Player of the Year. Joining Alvarez in the publication’s first-team All-America list is senior outfielder Dominic de la Osa and junior shortstop Ryan Flaherty.
Baseball America had Alvarez on its first-team, de la Osa on the second-team and Flaherty on its third-team.
Alvarez led the Commodores with a .386 batting average to go along with 18 homers and 68 RBI en route to unanimous All-American honors a year ago. He led the USA Baseball National Team in hitting for the second straight summer and is listed by Baseball America as the No. 1 college prospect entering the 2008 season.
De la Osa led the Commodores with 20 homers in the 2007 season and also batted .378 with 20 stolen bases and 62 RBIs. He was one of only three players in the country to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases and was also a unanimous All-American selection. The Florida native was drafted in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers, but returned to Vanderbilt for his senior year after playing the Cape Cod League over the summer.
Flaherty finished the spring with a .381 batting average to go with four homers, 23 doubles (tied for team high) and 57 RBI. He carries a school record 35-game hitting streak into the 2008 campaign. The Maine native was a second-team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rivals.com and started at second base for the USA Baseball National Team over the summer.
The threesome were recently named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List by USA Baseball.
Mike Minor joins the trio on the initial Brooks Wallace Award Watch List as well. Minor went 9-1 with a 3.09 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 19 walks in 90.1 innings en route to Freshman All-American honors. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by sebaseball.com and also played on Team USA, finishing with a team best five wins and 1.64 ERA.
Commodores Picked To Finish First in SEC (East) By Coaches
Vanderbilt is predicted to repeat as the 2008 Southeastern Conference baseball champions, as voted by the league’s 12 baseball coaches in the 17th annual preseason SEC poll.
The Commodores, ranked as high as No. 3 nationally in the preseason polls, seek to capture their fifth SEC Championship, having also won titles in 1973, 1974, 1980 and 2007. Vanderbilt returns eight position starters and four pitchers from their 2007 squad which also won the SEC Tournament and earned the National No. 1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Since 1996, the SEC has named a regular season champion as well as a tournament champion. Prior to 1996, the tournament champion was considered the SEC Champion.