May 28, 2015
VANDERBILT RE-VU
The Commodores dropped the SEC Championship game 7-3 to Florida on Sunday. Vanderbilt advanced to their eighth SEC Tournament championship game under Tim Corbin with a 12-3 win over Texas A&M Saturday. Jeren Kendall had two hits and three RBI in the win. The Commodores rolled over Alabama 16-1 in seven innings on Friday. Vandy matched season-bests with 16 runs on 19 hits in Philip Pfeifer’s complete game win. Vanderbilt dropped a 6-1 game to Texas A&M on Thursday. Carson Fulmer took the loss allowing a career-high six runs over five innings. The Commodores opened the SEC Tournament with a comeback 7-6 win over Missouri on Wednesday. Rhett Wiseman’s walk-off homer was the season-best fourth HR of the game for VU.
ON THE BUMP
Friday, May 29
RHP Carson Fulmer (11-2, 1.97) vs. RHP Ian Martinez-McGraw (7-3, 2.50)
Saturday, May 30
TBA vs. TBA
10 STRAIGHT NCAA TOURNAMENTS
Vanderbilt enters the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight year and 11th time under head coach Tim Corbin in his 13th season at the Commodores’ helm. Hawkins Field hosts Regionals for the fourth time in five years as the Commodores begin defense of the team’s 2014 national title at home against Lipscomb on Friday. Last year the Dores swept through the Nashville Regional with wins over Xavier and Oregon twice before taking two-of-three at The Hawk vs. Stanford to return to Omaha for the second time in program history (2011). Vandy beat Louisville, UC Irvine and Texas in the College World Series to advance to the championship series, beating Virginia twice to win the Vanderbilt’s first-ever men’s national championship. Vanderbilt is 42-29 in 13 previous trips to the NCAA Tournament.
HOME SWEET HAWK
Hawkins Field hosts NCAA Regionals for the fourth time in five years where the Commodores have been very good this season going 24-8. SEC Pitcher of the Year Carson Fulmer has been nearly unhittable at home going 6-0 in seven starts with a 0.72 ERA and two complete games. The right-hander has 73 strikeouts over 50 innings allowing only four earned runs. The Vandy pitching staff has been solid as a whole with a 2.58 team ERA at home, allowing opponents to hit just .203 and score just over three runs per game. The VU offense has scored over seven runs per game at home with a .298 team average led by Rhett Wiseman’s .356 average.
LEAVING THE YARD
Vanderbilt continued to leave the yard last week at the SEC Tournament hitting a tournament-best eight home runs, led by Dansby Swanson’s four. The Commodores have hit 57 home runs entering the NCAA Tournament, 35 more than last season’s total and six shy of the last two season’s combined total of 63 (41 in 2013). The team’s 57 long balls are the most in the BBCOR era, passing 2011’s CWS team’s 51 homers. Dansby Swanson, Rhett Wiseman and Zander Wiel all have 10-plus homers to lead the team, marking the first time since 2010 the Commodores have had three players with at least 10 home runs (Aaron Westlake, Steven Liddle, Curt Casali). Hawkins Field has seen 31 Vandy homers leave the yard this season.
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. 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.
FULMER, SWANSON NAMED ALL-AMERICANS
Carson Fulmer has been named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The junior won the triple crown during the SEC regular season and was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year, becoming the third Vandy pitcher to win the award joining David Price (2007) and Grayson Garvin (2011). Dansby Swanson was tagged as the second team shortstop after leading the Commodores in virtually every offensive category. The junior earned SEC All-Tournament team honors last week in Hoover, Ala. Both Fulmer and Swanson are semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award. To vote for either player click here.
FRIDAY NIGHT SELLOUT
The Friday night match-up in the NCAA Nashville Regional between Vanderbilt and crosstown rival Lipscomb is sold out. A limited number of single-game outfield tickets were made available on Thursday morning but were quickly purchased by fans eager to watch the rematch of the defending national champion Commodores and the Bisons, who are making their second appearance in postseason play in school history. Single-game outfield tickets for the remaining games of the Nashville Regional are on sale for $15 on vucommodores.com or by calling the Vanderbilt Ticket Office at 615-322-GOLD (4653). Match-ups for Saturday’s games will not be determined until the conclusion of Friday’s games.