May 6, 2010
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No. 18 Vanderbilt (33-12, 10-9 SEC) at No. 15 LSU (33-13, 11-10)
Friday, May 7 – 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 8 – 6 p.m. CT – CSS
Sunday, May 9 – 1 p.m. CT – Cox Sports TV
Alex Box Stadium (10,150)
Series History vs. LSU
LSU leads all-time 49-31-0 in a series that dates back to 1954. The teams did not play a regular season series the last two years but met in the SEC tournament three times in that span. The Tigers took two of three including the tournament title game a year ago in Hoover. VU has won the last two regular season series, including a sweep in 2007 in Nashville.
Recent Results
May 24, 2009: LSU 6, Vanderbilt 2 (SEC Tourney Champ. Game) – Hoover, Ala.
May 20, 2009: Vanderbilt 4, LSU 1 – Hoover, Ala.
May 22, 2008: LSU 8, Vanderbilt 2 – Hoover, Ala.
May 19, 2007: Vanderbilt 6, LSU 2 – Nashville
May 18, 2007: Vanderbilt 6, LSU 2 – Nashville
May 17, 2007: Vanderbilt 4, LSU 1 – Nashville
Polls
Vanderbilt is ranked No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll and No. 18 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. LSU is ranked No. 15 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll, No. 17 by the NCBWA, No. 18 by Rivals.com and No. 24 by Baseball America.
The Coaches
VU’s Tim Corbin is 309-169 in his eighth season in Nashville. He is 415-307 in 14 seasons overall. Corbin is 10-8 against LSU. LSU’s Paul Mainieri is 167-75-2 in his fourth season as head coach of the Tigers and 1031-566-6 in 28 years overall. He is 2-4 against Vanderbilt.
Radio/TV/Internet
All of Vanderbilt’s games this weekend can be heard in Nashville on 560 AM WNSR. Joe Fisher will call all the action.
Saturday’s games will be televised regionally on CSS and will also be available on the Internet on www.ESPN3.com. Paul Crane (play-by-play) and Ron Swoboda (analysis) will call the game.
Sunday’s game will be televised regionally on Cox Sports Television. Lyn Rollins (play-by-play) and Ben McDonald (analysis) will call the game.
What’s On Tap
Vanderbilt opens the month of May with back-to-back road series in Southeastern Conference play starting this weekend at defending national champion LSU. The Commodores and Tigers will open play on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. start on Sunday. The Saturday and Sunday games will be televised regionally on CSS and Cox Sports TV respectively.
About LSU
LSU is 33-13 on the year and 11-10 in SEC play after getting swept at Ole Miss and at Florida over the last two weekends. The Tigers snapped a seven-game losing streak against Southeastern Louisiana, 9-5, on Tuesday.
The Tigers are 27-5 at home and are 7-2 at Alex Box Stadium in league play with series wins over Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama.
Junior catcher Micah Gibbs leads the team in hitting with a .404 batting average with five homers and 42 RBI. Sophomore outfielder Mikie Mahtook is one of the top power sources with 12 homers, 18 doubles and 40 RBI. As a team the Tigers have six starters back from last year’s NCAA championship squad and are batting .323 with 56 homers and 380 runs scored (8.26 per game).
The Tigers rotation for the weekend was still to be determined behind Friday night starter junior right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (2-2, 7.01 ERA). Sophomore right-hander Matty Ott (1-2, 4.59 ERA) is the closer with 11 saves in 21 appearances and 30 strikeouts and 14 walks in 33.1 innings. LSU has a 5.40 team ERA with 343 strikeouts and 172 walks in 416.2 innings pitched.
Defensively LSU has made 42 errors on the year and has a .976 fielding percentage, third in the SEC.
Commodores Give Back
With the Middle Tennessee area hit by the devastating effects of torrential rain and flooding, Vanderbilt athletics wants to help out with flood relief and recovery efforts.
Vanderbilt’s baseball game against Louisville on May 11 will be a special event with free admission and monetary donations being accepted for the American Red Cross. The remaining 1,300 tickets will be dispensed on the day of the game at the gate and fans will be encouraged to donate in lieu of purchasing a ticket.
In addition, collection centers will be on site for people to donate canned goods/bottled water for the Second Harvest Food Bank as well as clothing and everyday necessities for the victims via the Hands on Nashville organization.
Vice Chancellor David Williams has also made available the soccer and track facilities for some local high schools that have been affected by the floods. The University School of Nashville and Ensworth have been the first two schools to reschedule games at Vanderbilt’s athletic fields. VU is seeking a waiver from the NCAA to allow schools free use of these facilities; NCAA rules require rental payments under normal circumstances.
“Vanderbilt Athletics has been a vital part of the social fabric of Nashville for well over a century,” said Williams. “Our athletic department wants to contribute as it can to the city’s recovery. It is painful to see how lives and livelihoods have been disrupted. Perhaps some people can take a brief break to enjoy our national pastime and help us help others in the process. We are all on the same team against this opponent.”
The baseball game is set for a 6 p.m. start on Tuesday against a Louisville team that’s ranked in the Top 10 nationally. It is a rematch of last year’s NCAA regional championship round in Louisville. Special activities are currently being organized to recognize heroes during the game day festivities along with Vanderbilt coaches who will assist during the solicitation for relief effort donations.
“We are very fortunate that we can use an athletic event as a way to generate proceeds and kindness to our friends throughout the Nashville area,” said Vanderbilt baseball head coach Tim Corbin. “For our kids this is a way for them to contribute something. The student-athletes realize that there are people out there who need help and this is a way for them to play for a really good cause. We hope that the community will join our collective efforts in making this night a worthwhile opportunity to help the people in need.”
Those interested in tickets can pick them up on the day of the game (Tuesday) through the Vanderbilt ticket office starting at 8:30 a.m. in the McGugin Center. The tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
More information on the event will be updated in the next few days on vucommodores.com.
Go-Go Gomez
Freshman infielder Anthony “Go-Go” Gomez is having a stellar year at the plate in his first season as a Commodore. The New Jersey native currently leads the team and SEC in hitting with a .445 batting average and is 10th in the NCAA entering this weekend’s series against LSU. By the NCAA listings, he leads all freshmen in batting average is the ninth toughest batter to strikeout in the nation with just five K’s in 119 at bats on the year. His 14 game hit streak earlier in the year still stands as the longest of the year for the Commodores and he is coming off a 4-for-5 night at the plate in the team’s 17-5 win over Georgia last Friday.
Brewer Closing in Saves Record
Redshirt junior Russell Brewer recorded his sixth save of the season in the Commodores 11-10 win over Middle Tennessee on April 21, giving him 18 saves in his career. He needs one more to tie Ryan Rote who notched 19 saves in two seasons as a Commodore. Brewer is tied for fourth in the SEC in saves and sports a 2.01 earned run average in 16 relief appearances with 29 strikeouts and five walks in 22.1 innings pitched. He was added to the Stopper of the Year Watch List on April 15.
Player – Saves (Years at Vanderbilt)
1. Ryan Rote – 19 ( 2004-05)
2. Russell Brewer – 18 ( 2007-present)
3. David Daniels – 15 (1992-95)
Corbin Coaching Milestones
Head coach Tim Corbin notched his 307th career win at Vanderbilt against Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, April 21 moving him past Larry Schmittou (306) into second place on the school’s all-time coaching wins list. He has 309 wins entering the weekend series against LSU. The Commodores all-time wins leader is Roy Mewbourne who went 655-608-9 from 1979-2002. Corbin notched his 400th career victory on March 24 over Wright State and recorded his 300th victory at Vanderbilt against Florida on April 4. Corbin also had 106 victories in five seasons at Presbyterian.
Commodore Tidbits
Vanderbilt went 1-1 on the rain-shortened week, falling by a run to Austin Peay in Clarksville on Tuesday before pounding Georgia, 17-5, on Friday night … The three game series against the Bulldogs was shortened due to torrential rain in the middle Tennessee area … The Commodores snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday and scored more runs in that game than they have in five of their first six Southeastern Conference series (Kentucky- 18 in three games). The 17 runs were also the most scored in a conference series opener since scoring 17 against Georgia in 1992 … Curt Casali had a big night Friday, belting a three-run homer along with a two-run double to finish with five RBI in the win. Anthony Gomez was 4-for-5 with three runs scored while Brian Harris added two hits and five runs scored from the leadoff spot. Aaron Westlake also added two hits to help lead the 13 hit attack over the Bulldogs … Taylor Hill (4-3) pitched eight solid innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks. He recorded his first win since defeating Illinois State on March 6 when he moved to 3-0 on the season … Will Clinard closed the game out allowing two hits in an inning of scoreless relief … Grayson Garvin threw five innings of four-hit shutout baseball in the Tuesday start against Austin Peay … VU hit .294 on the week with three homers and 18 RBI … The pitching staff sported a 3.71 ERA with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 17 innings of work … Anthony Gomez was 5-for-10 (.500) with three runs scored on the week while Andrew Giobbi was 3-for-8 (.375) with a homer and three RBI.
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 20 of 43 runners attempting to steal. He has also caught a pitching staff (calls own game) that has a stellar 3.31 team ERA; best in the SEC. Offensively he usually bats in the middle of the order and enters this weekend against LSU with a .298 batting average with four homers and 37 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.
Garvin Rounding Into Form
With the loss of left-hander Corey Williams (broken knee cap), the Commodores were down to just one experienced left-hander on the active staff in reliever Richie Goodenow. VU needed another southpaw in the pen and the timing was right for a veteran to make his return to the pitching staff.
Sophomore Grayson Garvin saw limited action a year ago, but missed the first part of this season while rehabbing a sore arm.
The Georgia native made his first appearance of the year against Wofford on March 30 and struck out the side while giving up a hit. He followed that up with a similar performance against Belmont on April 6, striking out the side in an inning of work.
Garvin then came on in the third against Middle Tennessee on April 21, and held the potent Blue Raider offense in check for 3.2 innings. He allowed just three hits while striking out three.
He made his first start of the year against Austin Peay on Tuesday and threw five innings of four-hit scoreless ball.
In five appearances on the year he has 13 strikeouts and one walks in 10.2 innings with just nine hits allowed.