April 15, 2008
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TUESDAY, APRIL 15- 4:45 PM
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SEARCHING FOR CONSISTENCY
When the Commodores were reeling from a 1-4 record in the first week of April including being swept at Ole Miss, baseball head coach Tim Corbin was searching for consistency.
During that span, the ‘Dores struggled in all phases of the game: the offense hit only .262, the pitching staff allowed almost eight runs per game, and the defense committed 11 errors.
The Commodores were in last place in the SEC East and had to go back and refocus as a unit to turn things around.
“After Sunday’s game, I talked about that we had to break it down to the point we’re playing pitch by pitch, inning by inning, and game by game,” said Corbin.
“We just tried to get back to the basics,” said centerfielder David Macias. “Practicing hard and practicing like you play. Ultimately it carries over and we got a good week out of it.”
A good week indeed.
Vanderbilt responded to the tough stretch by posting its most consistent week of the year, winning all five games including midweek wins over Western Kentucky and Austin Peay, as well as a three-game sweep at Mississippi State.
The Commodores excelled in all areas of the game that had given them problems the previous week: the offense heated up with a .340 average, the pitching staff posted a 2.60 ERA, and the defense made only three errors in 185 chances.
“Every aspect of the game is contagious,” added Macias. “Once everyone starts doing well it just goes throughout the whole team.”
So what was the turning point?
Trailing Mississippi State 7-3 in the fifth inning last Friday, Vanderbilt found itself in a hole once again on the road. Instead of getting rattled in a tough environment, the Commodores battled back to score nine runs over the next two innings and eventually won 15-8, setting the tone for VU’s first sweep in Starkville since 1914.
“When we got behind, it could’ve been a situation where they said, `Oh boy. Here we go again,’ but it wasn’t like that at all,” added Corbin. “We kept pecking away. Then when we won, and I thought this could turn us around.”
The Commodores followed Friday’s emotional comeback by winning in two different fashions: A 16-0 rout of the Bulldogs on Saturday and a 4-3 nail biter on Sunday to give VU its first road series win of the year.
“If you win a series like that, you’re doing things well,” stated Corbin. “I thought we had a pretty positive approach in all of those games that week.”
Vanderbilt will try to carry over last week’s momentum into the rest of the year, starting with two midweek road games before hosting Auburn for a three-game series this weekend at Hawkins Field.
“We’re only halfway through the SEC season,” added Corbin. “We’ve got a long way to go. We figured out something for the time being, but it all starts again this week with Lipscomb Tuesday.”
MORE OF COACH CORBIN’S QUOTES FROM MONDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE:
On the younger bullpen thriving in adverse situations:
“We’ve been on the road three times. We’ve put them out there in adverse situations.”
“In Sunday’s game, the game was 4-3 with one out and the bases loaded. We brought in (Richie) Goodenow, and he strikes out a guy. We brought in (Russell) Brewer, and he strikes out a guy. They both had a 2-0 count on each hitter. The crowd was on their feet, and it’s difficult to pitch in that situation for the first time for each of them.
“Every time we have a moment like that, it builds upon itself. Every time they succeed, they get more confidence the next time they go up there (on the mound). If I don’t give them opportunities, then I won’t know how they’ll react in the situation. If I give a guy an opportunity like that, and he reacts well to it, then he’ll get the ball again in that same situation.”
On making the team think like a contender instead of a pretender:
“I told our team last Thursday that the problem is that other teams think more of us than we do of ourselves. I said to them that we’re playing like a pretender rather than a contender. We’ve got to get to the point where we feel like we’re the contender. We need to play like the team we’re capable of playing like, and I think we started to do that this past weekend.”
On David Macias’ performance at Mississippi State last weekend which earned him SEC Hitter of the Week:
“He was unbelievable. D.J. (Derek Johnson) and I were remarking yesterday during batting practice and Sunday how he was leaving his feet for every ball hit and making diving catches.
“Here is a guy that has played in the SEC for four years and he’s never slowed down one step whatsoever. He’s still laying out during batting practice when nobody is in the stands. It’s what he is use to doing. He carries that same mentality to the games.
“He’s hitting home runs, stealing bases, driving in important runs and making great catches. He made about five catches over the weekend that were going towards the fence. He’s doing everything.”