Feb. 18, 2016
VANDERBILT RE-VU
Vanderbilt made its second straight appearance in the College World Series finals last season, finishing as the national runner-up. The Commodores posted the team’s third consecutive 50-win season to become the only program in nation with three straight 50-win seasons, going 51-21. VU’s nine-game win streak in the NCAA Tournament was the squad’s longest of the year and put the Dores in the program’s third CWS in five years. Vandy won the SEC East going 20-10 and played in the SEC Tournament championship game for the fourth time in five years. Eight Commodores were selected in the MLB Draft headlined by No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson and fellow first rounders Carson Fulmer and Walker Buehler.
ON THE BUMP
Friday, Feb. 19
RHP Jordan Sheffield (0-0, -.–) vs. LHP Troy Conyers (0-0, -.–)
Saturday, Feb. 20
LHP Ben Bowden (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP Gary Cornish (0-0, -.–)
Sunday, Feb. 21
TBA (0-0, -.–) vs. LHP Nick Sprengel (0-0, -.–)
VANDY BOYS RANKED NO. 3 TO OPEN SEASON
For the sixth straight season Vanderbilt opens the season ranked in the top 10 nationally with the Commodores checking in at No. 3 in the majority of the preseason polls. The streak started in 2011 with Vanderbilt’s first-ever College World Series team opening the year ranked fourth and finishing the campaign ranked fourth. The 2012 squad starting the season ranked 10th and ending it ranked 22nd. In 2013, the Dores began the year as the No. 2 team in the nation before ending the year ranked ninth. VU ended 2014 atop the polls after winning the program’s first national title and starting the year at No. 10. The Commodores began last season as the nation’s No. 1 team becoming the first Vanderbilt program in school history to open a season ranked No. 1. The Dores ended 2015 at No. 2 in the polls after playing in the team’s second straight CWS Finals. Vanderbilt is one of only two teams (Louisville) in America to finish in the Top 10 each of the last three years.
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
Despite returning 23 lettermen from last year’s team, the Commodores will have several new faces on the field this weekend. Three mainstays – Dansby Swanson, Zander Wiel and Rhett Wiseman – in the everyday lineup are now professionals and the entire weekend rotation of Carson Fulmer, Philip Pfeifer and Walker Buehler all get paid to play now as well. Junior Ro Coleman has moved into left field after seeing most of his action as the designated hitter in his first two seasons. Numerous Commodores are vying for first base led by senior Kyle Smith, who has also played in the outfield in his career. Sophomores Penn Murfee and Liam Sabino could also earn their first game action at the position.
FRESHMAN CLASS TABBED NO. 1
For the record fourth time, Vanderbilt’s recruiting class has been ranked No. 1 by Baseball America. The Commodores’ 13-man class is comprised of seven pitchers and six position players from nine different states. Vanderbilt’s fourth top class in the Baseball America poll (2005, 2011, 2012, 2015) stretches the Dores’ record with only Florida and Arizona State claiming multiple top classes with two each. Vandy is also riding an unprecedented 11-year streak of Top 25 classes. The 2015 class is the latest top class for Corbin and recruiting coordinator Travis Jewett after hauling in the second of back-to-back classes in 2012.
THE ALL AMERICANS
Six Commodores earned preseason All-American status led by junior Bryan Reynolds, who was on every major preseason All-American list. Reynolds has racked up 186 hits in his first two seasons on campus helping the Commodores to the national title in 2014 and back to the College World Series finals last year while playing in all 144 games of the last two seasons. Kendall improved dramatically over the course of his freshman season, ending the year hitting .281 with eight home runs. Kendall tied for the team lead during a Freshman All-American season with six triples while adding eight homers. Fellow sophomore, Will Toffey became a force as the 2015 season wore on leading the Commodores in hitting in Southeastern Conference play with a .348 average. Bowden returns to campus for his junior season after posting a monster summer in the Cape Cod League. The big lefty’s six wins last year were tied for the second-most on the squad. He also struck out 49 over 37.1 innings. For Sheffield, the preseason recognition came from Baseball America. After spending his first season on the sidelines due to elbow surgery, Sheffield finally pitched for the Commodores in 2015 going 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 22 games, six starts.
REYNOLDS, TOFFEY NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SEC
Junior Bryan Reynolds and sophomore Will Toffey were named preseason All-SEC by the league’s coaches. Both Commodores were tabbed as second team members.
COMMODORES DEBUTING NEW NIKE UNIFORMS
Vanderbilt is one of only three teams in the nation to be wearing Nike’s new Vapor Elite uniform. The Commodores are joined by Oregon and North Carolina in the new uniforms. Three new elements are highlighted in the uniforms: the Vapor Elite Pants are 20% lighter than the sport’s traditional knit pants, the Vapor Elite Jersey, made from stretch woven fabric, offers maximum mobility with minimal weight and the True Vapor Fitted hat features an exclusive bill construction designed to reduce weight, improve moisture management and relieve pressure against the forehead.
NUMBER NINE
Sophomore Will Toffey has changed his uniform to No. 9 after earning Freshman All-American honors while wearing No. 10 last season. The No. 9 was Toffey’s uniform number throughout his prep career and when it came available the Barnstable, Mass. native asked Coach Corbin to make the move into a new jersey.
DORES TABBED TO FINISH SECOND IN SEC EAST BY COACHES
The Commodores were picked to finish second in the SEC East by the league coaches while receiving one vote to win the East division and the league. Top-ranked Florida received 13 votes to win the division and the league making them a unanimous choice (coaches cannot vote for their own team). The rest of the East was picked with South Carolina third, Kentucky fourth, Missouri fifth, Georgia sixth and Tennessee seventh. In the West Texas A&M was picked to take the title followed by LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama.
SWITCH IT UP
Vanderbilt’s roster features four switch hitters with juniors Ro Coleman and Bryan Reynolds, sophomore Tristan Chari and speed freshman Alonzo Jones. Coleman and Reynolds have combined for 282 hits in their careers with Reynolds posting a pair of 90-hit seasons in his first two years on West End.
REYNOLDS, WRIGHT NAMED TO GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
Bryan Reynolds and Kyle Wright are on the 50-man preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s top amateur player. Reynolds enters his third season at Vanderbilt having already compiled 186 hits in his career. The Brentwood, Tenn. native has starred on each of the Commodores’ past two teams, helping the Dores capture the national title in 2014 as a Freshman All-American and ushering the team back to the national championship series last season. Wright led all Vanderbilt pitchers with 29 appearances a year ago as a freshman. The Huntsville, Ala. native went 6-1 with a 1.23 ERA taking over as the Commodores’ closer down the stretch and finishing the year with four saves. The right-hander picked up Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC honors for his work on the bump that included 62 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.
VANDY BOYS GO TO D.C.
For the second straight fall, Vanderbilt traveled as a team with 2015’s trip ending in Washington D.C. The Commodores trained at the Naval Academy in nearby Annapolis, Md. during the morning and took educational sites in the afternoon. The Vandy Boys visited the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Holocaust Museum, the National Archive, Arlington National Cemetery and the Naval Academy campus.
COMMODORES NAMED NO. 1 PROGRAM BY D1BASEBALL.COM
Vanderbilt was named the top program in the nation during the fall by D1Baseball.com. The website ranked programs based on “the overall health of the program, based on recent history, coaching staff quality, facilities, scholarship/financial aid situation, conference dynamics, and recruiting and player development proficiency.” The Commodores led the way in the rankings with 12 more SEC schools in the top 70.