May 13, 2015
VANDERBILT RE-VU
Vanderbilt reclaimed the Barrel in the Battle of the Barrel against No. 2 Louisville Tuesday night with a 5-2 win. Lefties Ryan Johnson and John Kilichowski combined to limit the Cardinals to just four hits. The Commodores let a late lead slip away on Saturday in a 9-7 loss to No. 2 Florida in 10 innings. VU took a three-run lead to the eighth inning but could not hold in dropping the series finale. Dansby Swanson hit two home runs and Rhett Wiseman added his team-best 12th homer. Florida evened the series with a 7-3 win on Friday night. Philip Pfeifer took the loss allowing five runs over 4.1 innings. Carson Fulmer tossed his second shutout of the season as the Commodores set the school record with their 11th shutout in a 2-0 victory over Florida Friday night. Fulmer struck out 11 to earn his 10th win of the year.
ON THE BUMP
Thursday, May 14
RHP Carson Fulmer (10-1, 1.56) vs. LHP Taylor Guilbeau (2-5, 3.73)
Friday, May 15
LHP Philip Pfeifer (3-4, 4.35) vs. RHP Jake Walters (4-3, 2.17)
Saturday, May 16
RHP Walker Buehler (3-1, 3.14) vs. TBA
HOOVER – TAKE ONE
Vanderbilt makes the trek to Hoover to take on the Crimson Tide the week before traveling back to Hoover for the SEC Tournament. The Commodores and Tide tangle for the first time since 2013 when the Dores took two-of-three at Hawkins Field to wrap up a record 26-3 league mark. The weekend series at The Hoover Met will mark the first time the two schools have faced off in the ballpark, having not met in the SEC Tournament since the ballpark moved to The Met in 1997.
FULMER NAMED SEC PITCHER OF THE WEEK… FINALLY
Carson Fulmer was finally named SEC Pitcher of the Week for his second shutout of the season last Thursday against Florida. The right-hander punched out 11 and faced only two innings with Gators in scoring position en route to his league-best 10th win of the season. Fulmer has struck out at least 11 batters in five starts this season and leads the SEC with 118 punch outs entering the final weekend. Fulmer is the fifth Commodore this season to be recognized by the league’s weekly honors.
BIG GAME WILL
Freshman Will Toffey has been the Commodores’ most steady bat in league games this season, entering the final SEC weekend with a team-best .350 average, three home runs and a team-high 24 RBI. Toffey rolls into Thursday night’s match-up against the Tide riding a 25-game hitting streak in league games, having registered hits in every SEC game he has started except the first one against Arkansas on March 14. His .350 average in league games is 10th-best among all players in the SEC and his 24 RBI rank fourth overall and lead all freshmen.
KING FULMER
Carson Fulmer begins the final weekend of the regular season with a rare feat in sight. The junior leads the SEC in wins (10), strikeouts (118) and ERA (1.56) and could become just the fourth player in league history to win the pitching triple crown. The last player to win the crown was Tennessee’s Luke Hochevar in 2005 joining Mississippi State’s Ken Kurtz in 1979 and Frank Montgomery in 1962. Fulmer’s spectacular season has pushed him into ninth all-time at Vanderbilt with 264 strikeouts and he sits at 20 wins in his career.