June 2, 2010
VUcommodores’ NCAA Tournament Blog
The Commodores (41-17) are aware of several facts heading into the Louisville Regional on Friday.
They know the Cardinals are one of the nation’s best ball clubs. They know there’s a very good chance they’ll meet at some point this weekend. And yes, they know Louisville knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament on the same turf of Jim Patterson Stadium last season.
But more importantly, they know better than to let any of that affect them in their bid to reach a Super Regional for the first time since 2004.
After all, the Cardinals aren’t the first-round match-up; the Illinois State Redbirds (31-22) are. That alone makes the hosts, for the moment, irrelevant.
“(Louisville has) always given us good competition, but our mind’s set on Illinois State right now,” said redshirt sophomore first baseman Aaron Westlake. “Last year, I think we had our mind focused on Louisville and we wound up having to play Middle Tennessee first (where the Commodores lost, 5-4).”
As the No. 2 seed, Vanderbilt will square off against the third-seeded Redbirds, while Louisville will face fourth-seeded St. Louis. The Commodores won their only other match-up with Illinois State, 9-2, on March 6.
As for the top seed? That team Vanderbilt’s played five times in the last three seasons? Who battled the Commodores in a 17-inning marathon on May 11 that finally ended after a Jason Esposito walk-off home run?
As of right now, they don’t exist.
Senior shortstop Brian Harris knows that all too well, having seen Vanderbilt drop opening round games to MTSU last season and Oklahoma in 2008 and subsequently fall short of Super Regional berths.
“That’s how you have to approach it,” Harris said. “We know Louisville’s a one seed and we’ve got some history with them, playing them a bunch, but we can’t get to them unless we beat Illinois State. I think we’ll eventually play Louisville. We’d much rather play them with a win under our belts than with a loss.”
Indeed they would, if history’s any indication. Last season, every team that advanced to the Super Regional won its opening game. In the past five tournaments, the 80 teams to move on to Super Regionals have gone 74-6 in such contests.
The Commodores rebounded in Louisville a year ago to force the final, but they fell short, 5-3, ending their season at 37-27.
“I think our mindset is hungry,” said Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin. “We know what happened last year. Does it have anything to do with this year? No. It might be a motivator for some of the kids, but it’s something I don’t bring up.
“You’ve got to play this tournament completely different. You’ve got to think about Illinois State right now. It’s an Illinois State regional.”
And it’s Illinois State who’s the hotter team as of the last two weeks.
Since scuffling to a 4-7 start, the Redbirds have gone 27-15 and won 19 of their last 27, including four straight wins to capture the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, lost its last two games in the SEC Tournament and has dropped four of five overall. However, the Commodores have enjoyed considerable success outside of SEC play, going 24-3 against nonconference opponents.
The chance to get back at the Cardinals is there, but first things first.
“Maybe,” Corbin said. “Whether we play St. Louis or Louisville, no one knows. Illinois State is the team we’re going to focus on.”