Sept. 15, 2015
Nashville, Tenn. — Vanderbilt is set to open fall practice Thursday afternoon at Hawkins Field with 23 letterwinners returning from last year’s national runner-up team.
For the first time in two years the team will have a pair of seniors on the roster with Tyler Campbell and Kyle Smith back for their fourth year in the program. A strong core of 12 players entering their third season at VU includes pitchers Jordan Sheffield, Ben Bowden, John Kilichowski and Hayden Stone and position players Ro Coleman, Jason Delay, Karl Ellison and Bryan Reynolds.
Bowden put together one of the best summers on the squad, starring in the Cape Cod League and earning co-MVP honors in the championship series while helping Yarmouth-Dennis to the league title. Along with Bowden, Reynolds, Sheffield and Jeren Kendall were all recognized as Top 10 prospects on the Cape. Kendall, Will Toffey and Kyle Wright all return for their sophomore seasons after earning Freshman All-American status last season.
The Commodores welcome 13 freshmen to the mix this fall with 12 of the members of the class earning All-American honors for their senior seasons in high school and three that turned down professional baseball after being drafted in June. The class features seven pitchers and six position players. On the mound, right-handers Maddux Conger, Chandler Day, Donny Everett, Matthew McGarry and Patrick Raby along with left-handers AJ Franklin and Evan Steele add depth to a pitching staff looking to replace the Dores’ entire starting rotation from last season. In the field, Walker Grisanti, Julian Infante, Alonzo Jones, Connor Kaiser, Ethan Paul and Stephen Scott join a roster that must replace three starters. Day (Cleveland), Everett (Milwaukee) and Jones (Chicago (NL)) all chose to attend Vanderbilt over professional baseball.
Beginning Thursday, the Commodores will be on the field Tuesdays at approximately 6:30 p.m., Wednesday-Friday at approximately 3:15 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday practices scheduled for 10 a.m. Fans are encouraged to attend and enter Hawkins Field via the gate near the visitor’s bullpen on Jess Neely Drive. The team’s annual Black & Gold Series presented by Chevrolet is set for October 22, 23 and 25 with games tentatively set for October 28-29.
Former volunteer assistant coach Blake Allen returns to Vanderbilt as the Dores’ volunteer assistant coach after spending the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky.
Allen originally worked with the Hilltoppers’ hitters at WKU before moving to the mound to work with the teams’ pitchers during his final two seasons in Bowling Green. He also held down the title of recruiting coordinator, helping the Toppers land some of the best recruiting classes in school history.
He spent four seasons with the Dores during his first tour on West End from 2004-07 helping build the foundation for what the program has become, working primarily with the team’s catchers and hitters.