May 19, 2015
VANDERBILT RE-VU
Vanderbilt enters the postseason after winning the SEC East division and capturing seven of the team’s 10 league series. The Dores are one game behind last season’s team at this time. The Commodores were shut out for the first time this season on the last day of the regular season in a 1-0 loss at Alabama. Walker Buehler gave up one run over 6.2 innings to be the tough-luck loser. Vanderbilt held off Alabama to clinch the series and the SEC East with a 7-5 win Friday night. The Commodores used another complete game effort from Carson Fulmer in a 2-1 win at Alabama. The junior matched his career-best with 14 strikeouts in his third CG of the season.
ON THE BUMP
Wednesday, May 20
TBA vs. TBA
HOOVER – TAKE TWO
Vanderbilt makes the team’s second trip down Interstate 65 to Hoover in two weeks for the SEC Tournament. The Commodores played Alabama at The Met last weekend to wrap up the regular season. The Dores enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed after winning the SEC East. Vandy went 1-2 at the tournament last season beating Tennessee before dropping games to LSU and Ole Miss to exit before the championship game for the first time since 2010. The Commodores went 7-5 against the teams in their side of the bracket dropping series to Ole Miss and South Carolina, sweeping Missouri and taking two-of-three at Alabama. Vandy did not play Texas A&M during the regular season. Vanderbilt is 30-15 under head coach Tim Corbin and last won the SEC Tournament in 2007.
KING FULMER – SEC PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Carson Fulmer became just the fourth pitch in SEC history to win the pitching triple crown on his way to being named the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Fulmer led the SEC in wins (11), strikeouts (132) and ERA (1.51) to earn the 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 joins David Price (2007) and Grayson Garvin (2011) as the only Commodores to ever win SEC Pitcher of the Year. The junior moved into a tie with Sonny Gray for the third-most strikeouts in a single season at Vanderbilt with 132 with a career-best 14 last Thursday night. His 21 career wins are one shy of matching Price (2005-07), Mike Minor (2007-09) and Rick Rhodes (1971-72, 74-75) for eighth all-time at Vanderbilt.
SWANSON, THREE FRESHMEN EARN SEC HONORS
Dansby Swanson earned second team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches as a shortstop giving him back-to-back All-SEC honors at two different positions. The junior was a first team All-SEC second baseman last season. This season Swanson led the Dores in average (.347), runs (60), doubles (19) and triples (6) during the regular season. Swanson led the SEC in runs scored and was among the league leaders in average (14th), on-base percentage (10th), hits (7th), RBI (7th), doubles (3rd), triples (2nd), home runs (11th) and walks (10th). Jeren Kendall, Will Toffey and Kyle Wright all picked up Freshman All-SEC accolades. Toffey led VU in hitting in league games with a .348 average and enters the tournament with a 27-game hitting streak in SEC games.
DORES DIG THE LONG BALL
Vanderbilt enters the postseason with 49 home runs on the year, up a remarkable 28 homers (233%) from last season’s total at this time. The Commodores hit more home runs than any team in the SEC during league games with 33 round trippers, two more than Texas A&M. The increase in home runs has helped the Dores offense score 365 runs through 56 games compared to 320 during the 2014 regular season. The Commodores are also hitting nine points higher as a team. The Vandy pitching staff has also taken advantage of the new ball, striking out 9.74 batters per nine innings to lead the nation during the regular season compared to 8.99 at this point last year.