April 15, 2010
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Game Notes
No. 23 Auburn (23-11, 7-5 SEC) at No. 18 Vanderbilt (27-8, 6-6)
Friday, April 16 – 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, April 17 – 2 p.m. CT
Sunday, April 18 – 1 p.m. CT – ESPNU
Hawkins Field (3,700)
Series History vs. Auburn
Auburn leads all-time 90-46-1 in a series that dates back to 1912. The Commodores have won three of the last four series going back to 2006. Last season the Tigers took two of three in Auburn and also holds a 25-22 lead in games played in Nashville.
Last Two Years
March 29, 2009: Auburn 11, Vanderbilt 10 (Auburn)
March 28, 2009: Auburn 5, Vanderbilt 3 (Auburn)
March 27, 2009: Vanderbilt 12, Auburn 3 (Auburn)
April 20, 2008: Vanderbilt 9, Auburn 5 (Nashville)
April 19, 2008: Vanderbilt 8, Auburn 2 (Nashville)
April 18, 2008: Auburn 6, Vanderbilt 3 (Nashville)
Polls
Vanderbilt is ranked No. 18 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, No. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll and No. 30 in Collegiate Baseball. Auburn is ranked No. 23 in Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America this week.
The Coaches
VU’s Tim Corbin is 303-165 in his eighth season in Nashville. He is 409-303 in 14 seasons overall. Corbin is 10-6 against Auburn. AU’s John Pawlowski is 54-36 in his second season as head coach of the Tigers. He is 392-228-1 in 11 seasons as a head coach overall. He is 2-1 against Vanderbilt.
Radio/TV/Internet
All of Vanderbilt’s games this weekend can be heard in Nashville on 560 AM WNSR. Fans can also watch the games via the Internet at www.vucommodores.com. Joe Fisher will call this weekend’s action.
Sunday’s game will be televised on ESPNU, marking the Commodores first ever baseball appearance on the U. Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Morgan Ensberg (analysis) will call the action.
Fans can sign up for text updates via www.twitter.com/vandybaseball and follow livestats for every game through www.vucommodores.com.
Tickets
Season and single game tickets are available for purchase online at www.vucommodores.com or through the Vanderbilt Ticket Office (615) 322-GOLD.
What’s On Tap
Vanderbilt closes out its eight-game home stand this weekend with an important Southeastern Conference series against No 23 Auburn. The Commodores and Tigers will open the set on Friday at 6 p.m. and will continue on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The final contest will be televised on ESPNU, marking the first time Commodore baseball has been on the station. Single game tickets are available through the Vanderbilt Athletic Ticket Office at (615) 322-GOLD or on-line at www.vucommodores.com.
About Auburn
Auburn is 23-11 on the season and 7-5 in the SEC after taking two of three against defending national and SEC champion LSU in
Auburn last weekend. The Tigers held New Orleans to just three hits in a 13-1 win on Wednesday and enter the weekend having won six of their last seven games.
Auburn has one of the top offenses in the SEC with league bests in batting average (.350), slugging percentage (.562), runs scored (311), hits (434), runs batted in (289) and home runs (56). The Tigers have scored 311 runs in 34 games, averaging 9.1 runs per contest.
Junior first baseman Hunter Morris, a second round pick of the Boston Red Sox out of high school in 2007, leads the team with a .408 batting average with 10 homers, 10 doubles, three triples and 41 RBI. He was named National Player of the Week in the first weekend of SEC play following a huge series at Georgia. The Huntsville, Ala., native went 10-for-16 (.625) with a double, four home runs, seven runs scored and 14 RBI. He had a four-hit, five RBI game in the 20-3 win in the Friday opener and a 5-for-6, nine RBI game in the Sunday finale, hitting his first career grand slam and a three-run home run in back-to-back at bats in the sixth and seventh innings.
Fellow junior Brian Fletcher is hitting .372 with 10 homers and 39 RBI in 32 games.
Auburn’s rotation for the weekend will be junior left-hander Cory Nelson (4-2, 4.61 ERA) on Friday and junior southpaw Grant Dayton (4-1, 5.18 ERA) on Sunday. Saturday’s starter is to be determined. Senior right-hander Austin Hubbard (3-1, 2.86 ERA) is the top reliever out of the bullpen with three saves in 13 appearances and 31 strikeouts and 13 walks in 22.0 innings. The Gamecocks have a 4.83 team ERA with 267 strikeouts and 116 walks in 302 innings pitched.
Defensively Auburn has made 58 errors on the year and has a .955 fielding percentage, last in the SEC.
Trio of Hurlers Blank Middle Tennessee
A trio of Vanderbilt hurlers combined on a six-hit shutout to lead the Commodores to a 1-0 win over Middle Tennessee Tuesday night at Hawkins Field.
Senior right-hander Drew Hayes threw 6.2 innings of four-hit baseball, striking out four and walking two to pick up the win and move to 4-0 on the year. Junior southpaw Richie Goodenow recorded the final out in the seventh and junior right-hander Russell Brewer threw two innings of two-hit relief with five strikeouts to pick up his fifth save of the year.
The teams were locked in a scoreless pitchers duel until the sixth when the Commodores scratched across a run to take a 1-0 lead. Anthony Gomez singled to lead off the inning off of MTSU starter Daniel Palo and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brian Harris. Gomez advanced to third on a wild pitch and later scored on another wild pitch by Palo.
Palo (0-1) allowed one run on three hits in 5.1 innings with five strikeouts and four walks.
VU only had three hits on the night with Brian Harris and Drew Fann recording the others in addition to Gomez’ single in the sixth.
The shutout was the Dores second straight over MTSU dating back to a 6-0 win last season in the NCAA Louisville Regional. It was the VU’s fourth shutout of the season.
Commodore Tidbits
Vanderbilt went 2-3 last week, dropping its third SEC series of the season against South Carolina … The Commodores outscored the Gamecocks 10-7 on the weekend and lost in spite of stellar starting pitching by the trio of Sonny Gray, Jack Armstrong and Taylor Hill. The trio combined to pitch 24.2 innings out of a possible 27 and allowed just six runs, five earned, on 15 hits with 15 strikeouts and eight walks. They had a cume 1.82 ERA and each had the longest outings of their career … Jack Armstrong allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks over eight innings in the Commodores 8-2 win on Sunday. He is now 5-0 on the season with a 3.43 ERA … Taylor Hill gave up a solo homer on the first pitch of Sunday’s game and just allowed a single in the next 7.2 innings. He was the tough luck loser, allowing one run on two hits in 7.2 innings with a walk and three strikeouts … Sonny Gray continued his solid pitching in SEC play, allowing three runs in his first collegiate complete game on Friday. He took the loss despite striking out eight and is now 1-3 in conference action with a 1.93 ERA … As a team the Commodores had a 2.75 ERA for the week (including midweek against Belmont) with 31 strikeouts and 10 walks in 36.0 innings … Will Clinard pitched three innings of two-hit scoreless relief with two strikeouts and a walk in the win over Belmont … Grayson Garvin struck out all three batters he faced against the Bruins and now has six strikeouts in two innings of work on the year … Offensively the Commodores hit just .270 on the week with six doubles, a triple and 22 runs scored in five games … Brian Harris led the team with a 4-for-12 (.333) week, he walked four times and was hit once (.529 on base percentage) … Aaron Westlake was 4-for-13 (.308) with five runs scored … Mike Yastrzemski was 3-for-9 (.333) with two doubles in four games, including three starts … After this weekend’s series, VU will play 12 of its final 19 regular season games away from Hawkins Field.
Pitching Staff ERA Third In Nation
While Auburn comes to town with one of the top offenses in the country, the Commodore pitching staff sports a 2.92 team ERA, third best in the country. VU leads the SEC in ERA while posting four shutouts, including a 1-0 win over Middle Tennessee on Tuesday.
Opponents are hitting .252 against the staff while striking out 291 times in 314.0 innings.
Team – ERA
1. UCLA – 2.28
2. Texas – 2.58
3. Vanderbilt – 2.92
4. Oregon – 2.93
5. Oregon State – 2.97
Corbin Coaching Milestones
Head coach Tim Corbin notched his 400th career victory on March 24 over Wright State. He recorded his 300th at Vanderbilt against Florida on April 4. Corbin (303) is currently three wins behind Larry Schmittou (306), who is second on the school’s all-time win list. The Commodores all-time wins leader is Roy Mewbourne who went 655-608-9 from 1979-2002. Corbin also had 106 victories in five seasons at Presbyterian.
Brewer Closing in Saves Record
Redshirt junior Russell Brewer recorded his fifth save of the season in the Commodores 1-0 win over Middle Tennessee on Tuesday, giving him 17 saves in his career. He needs two more to tie Ryan Rote who notched 19 saves in two seasons as a Commodore. Brewer has not allowed a run of his own this season and enters the weekend with a 0.00 ERA with 22 strikeouts and just three walks in 18.1 innings pitched.
Player – Saves (Years at Vanderbilt)
1. Ryan Rote – 19 (2004-05)
2. Russell Brewer – 17 (2007-present)
3. David Daniels – 15 (1992-95)
Jack’s Arm is Strong
Sophomore right-hander Jack Armstrong has had back-to-back impressive outings after a career-long eight-inning stint in Vanderbilt’s 8-2 win over South Carolina last Saturday. He allowed two runs, one earned on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks to improve to a team best 5-0 on the year.
In three of the four conference series this season, the Florida native has been the lone pitcher to record a win in the three-game set. Against Florida on April 4, he made a memorable return to his home state throwing six innings of four-hit shutout baseball against the Gators with four strikeouts to help VU salvage the final game of the series, 7-0.
Armstrong has been solid on the road this season going 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA with seven strikeouts in 12.1 innings. His two wins have come against the road against Top 25 clubs Alabama and Florida.
On the season he is now 5-0 with a 3.43 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 16 walks in 44.2 innings.
Reliable Reid
Another Vanderbilt hurler who is having a solid season is junior right-hander Chase Reid. The Texas native currently leads the team and is second in the SEC with a 1.80 ERA. Reid has served mainly in relief on the weekends, while also getting spot starts in the midweek.
In 13 appearances, including five starts, he has a 4-1 record with 33 strikeouts and just six walks in 35.0 innings. In conference play he is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in six relief appearances with 10 strikeouts and no walks in 9.2 innings of work.
Reid has been successful throughout his Commodore career, with an 11-1 record over three seasons and a 3.53 ERA entering this weekend’s play.
Giobbi named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Senior catcher Andrew Giobbi is on the official watch list for the 2010 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award.
The Portland, Maine, native has had an outstanding season thus far behind the plate, having thrown out 18 of 36 runners attempting to steal. He has also caught a pitching staff (calls own game) that has a stellar 2.92 team ERA; best in the SEC. Offensively he usually bats in the middle of the order and enters this weekend against Auburn with a .329 batting average with three homers and 31 RBI.
This is the second year in a row “Gio” has been named to the watch list.
The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 19, 2010. Ballots will be sent to the national voting panel at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 2, 2010 prior to the NCAA Regionals and Major League Baseball Draft. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced at the 13th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on July 1, 2010.
Corey Williams Out For Season
Redshirt freshman southpaw Corey Williams is out for the season after breaking his right kneecap on a line drive by Florida’s Austin Maddox on April 3. He remarkably had the presence of mind to grab the ball while face down on the ground and backhand it to first, where Aaron Westlake fielded it and made the tag out.
The play has garnered national attention with over 400,000 views on You Tube and on virtually every sports blog in the country.
Williams had surgery on April 5 with a goal to be back pitching by the end of the summer. He has also been interviewed on ESPN2’s First Take and on ESPNU’s Campus Connection. Some national pundits believe it is a Play of the Year candidate.
The Huntsville, Ala., had developed into one of the top hurlers out of the bullpen, making 12 relief appearances and was 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA. The southpaw had 17 strikeouts to just six walks in 17.0 innings and opponents were hitting just .215 against him.
Commodores Had Longest Road Trip In College Baseball
As Division I baseball starts up this week across the country, one Vanderbilt record that will not be beaten is longest trip of the year. Vanderbilt traveled 6,648 miles to Tokyo, Japan and an additional 1,797 miles to Hong Kong over the Thanksgiving holiday week. Due to a generous gift by Vanderbilt alum Bill Kaye, the Commodores were able to fly to Japan and face four of the top teams in Japan’s collegiate system. Along with the quality competition the kids were able to experience different cultures, each with their own unique traditions and histories. The team went 1-1-2 on the field and learned valuable lessons off the field as well.