Jan. 17, 2017
Nashville, Tenn. – For the seventh straight season Vanderbilt opens the year ranked inside the Top 10 with D1Baseball tabbing the Commodores seventh in the nation.
The Commodores return 19 lettermen from last year’s team that went 43-19 and played in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the Southeastern Conference. The team is led by preseason All-Americans Jeren Kendall and Kyle Wright, who enter their junior seasons as two of the highest-rated players in the nation. Kendall enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign in 2016 that saw him lead the Dores with a .332 average and 59 RBI while adding nine home runs and matching the school record with eight triples. Wright starred in the Commodores’ starting rotation, going 8-4 with a 3.09 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 93.1 innings. Alonzo Jones, Ethan Paul and Patrick Raby all earned Freshman All-American status a year ago and return for their sophomore seasons. Head coach Tim Corbin has also added a Top 20 recruiting class that consists of 14 newcomers.
The Dores are one of five SEC teams in D1Baseball’s preseason poll with Florida (No. 2), South Carolina (No. 4), LSU (No. 5) and Texas A&M (No. 20) all in the poll. The VU schedule features the Gators, Gamecocks and Aggies along with No. 12 Louisville.
Vanderbilt opens the 2017 season on the road at San Diego February 17 and returns home to Hawkins Field to host Evansville on February 22. The Commodores host weekend series against UIC, Cal State Northridge, Saint Mary’s, Texas A&M, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri and Alabama.
The Commodores open preseason practice on January 27 at Hawkins Field and host the team’s annual banquet at the Omni in downtown Nashville on February 4.