March 12, 2015
Arkansas Razorbacks (9-5, 0-0) at #5 Vanderbilt Commodores (13-4, 0-0)
Friday, March 13 | 6:30 p.m. [SEC Network+]
Saturday, March 14 | 2 p.m. [SEC Network+]
Sunday, March 15 | 12 p.m. [SEC Network+]
VANDERBILT RE-VU
The Commodores one hit Quinnipiac Wednesday in an 8-0 win. Ryan Johnson tossed five perfect innings with a career-high nine strikeouts for the win. Vanderbilt downed Quinnipiac 9-2 on Tuesday. Jordan Sheffield tossed six scoreless in his first career start to earn the win. The Dores dropped their Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic game 4-2 to No. 6 TCU on Sunday. Philip Pfeifer took the loss out of the pen with five innings of work. USC hit a walk-off home run to drop the Dores 6-5 on Saturday. Tyler Campbell led the way with three hits and two stolen bases. Vandy handed No. 4 UCLA their first shutout loss of the season with a 6-0 victory. Carson Fulmer and Philip Pfeifer combined for their second shutout and Karl Ellison had a career-best three hits.
ON THE BUMP
Friday, March 13
RHP Carson Fulmer (3-0, 0.81) vs. RHP Keaton McKinney (1-1, 3.45)
Saturday, March 14
RHP Walker Buehler (0-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Dominic Taccolini (3-1, 3.13)
Sunday, March 15
TBA vs. RHP Trey Killian (0-0, 2.45)
SIMPLY THE BEST
The Commodores open play in the best conference in America this weekend with a visit from Arkansas. Vanderbilt opened last year with a series victory over LSU and have won three of the last four opening league series dating back to 2011. The Razorbacks make their first trip to Hawkins Field since 2010 when they took two games from the Dores. VU dropped a pair of games at Arkansas last season. Vanderbilt is 21-30 against Arkansas all time dating back to 1970. The teams have split each of the last two series, both in Fayetteville.
2+3+4 = LOTS OF RUNS & HITS
Vanderbilt’s two, three and four hitters in the lineup have been producing in a big way. Rhett Wiseman, Dansby Swanson and Zander Wiel occupy those three spots in Tim Corbin’s lineup and enter the weekend as the Dores’ top three hitters. Combined, the trio is hitting .392 (78-for-199) with 40 runs, 52 RBI and 26 extra-base hits, including seven of the team’s eight home runs. Wiseman has been the hottest Commodore with nine multi-hit games and enters Friday with an 11-game hitting streak (24-for-45 .533) along with Swanson. During his streak, Wiseman has scored 16 runs and collected eight extra-base hits. Wiel has RBI in four straight games and has knocked in at least one run in 11 of the team’s 17 games.
THE CONSISTENT MR. SWANSON
Dansby Swanson has been Mr. Consistency for the Commodores early in the season hitting in the leadoff spot and in the middle of the lineup. The junior has hits in 16 of the team’s 17 games with seven multi-hit games. The All-American enters the weekend riding an 11-game hitting streak that has seen him go 18-for-45 (.400) with 15 runs scored and 16 RBI. He drove in at least one run in the first seven games of the streak starting with a four-RBI game vs. UT-Martin to match his career-best. He’s also cranked up his running game with seven stolen bases during the streak.
SUMMER MEMORIES
Four Commodores know Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn very well. Walker Buehler, Carson Fulmer, Bryan Reynolds and Dansby Swanson all played for Van Horn during the summer on Team USA. Buehler made one appearance for the team in Cuba and Fulmer pitched in five games between Cuba and the Netherlands. Swanson was tabbed the top position prospect on the team after hitting .288 with 14 runs scored, despite missing the majority of the Cuba series with an illness. Reynolds played in 18 games, hitting .246 with 14 RBI.