By Zac Ellis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – During the third inning in Vanderbilt’s matchup with Alabama on Saturday, the video board at Hawkins Field played a short montage spotlighting Jason Delay’s Commodore career. The moment was meant to recognize one of Vanderbilt’s two graduating seniors; the other — outfielder Ro Coleman — was honored in similar fashion during the fifth inning.
Both seniors had a hand in one of the more successful eras in Vanderbilt baseball history. But on Saturday, Coleman and Delay garnered standing ovations at The Hawk, a venue in which, barring a deep NCAA tournament run, they will never play baseball again.
That reality hit the student-athletes hard in the midst of facing the Crimson Tide.
“It was kind of surreal,” Coleman said. “It just felt to be great to be there in front of my teammates, my family and this crowd. It meant a lot.”
Added the catcher Delay: “It was definitely emotional. I was trying not to think about it too much. I was just trying to focus on the game.”
A rain-shortened 3-3 tie with Alabama wasn’t enough to dampen the pomp-and-circumstance surrounding Coleman and Delay’s Senior Day. History will remember the pair as the final two players to depart Vanderbilt from its 2014 national championship team. The duo has won 178 career games on West End, and both players also earned their degrees: Coleman in American Studies and Delay in Economics.
Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said his program won’t soon forget the impact of Coleman and Delay on his locker room.
“Anytime you can celebrate your kids within the fan base here, it’s a nice feeling,” Corbin said. “It’s hard in a short glimpse to tell you how much they’ve meant. Jason’s cosistency is unparalleled. He’s behind the plate all the time, he’s caught the ball so well and offensively it’s been a productive year for him. Ro, there’s a lot of emotion towards Ro because of where he’s from and what he’s done here. He’s been a key compenent to our team for four consecutive years.”
For Coleman, donning a cap and gown was extra special. Last week the Chicago native became the first male in his immediate family to earn his college degree. Once a soft-spoken outsider in a new city, Coleman took to Nashville and the Commodore family as a second home. Now the 5’3” outfielder hopes to forge a pro baseball career after four years of maturation on West End.
“It’s been a blessing to be here,” Coleman said. “I’ve grown a lot Coming in, I was timid. I didn’t really know how to use my words. That’s something me and Coach Corbin have talked about.”
Delay turned down an early shot at the pros to earn his degree from Vanderbilt. The San Francisco Giants selected the Dores’ catcher in the 11th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft. But Delay, who has 14 RBIs in his last 10 games, wanted to finish what he started at Vanderbilt.
“I don’t know if words can really say how much I’ve grown here,” Delay said. “Mentally, for sure, and just as a person. Coming in here, like many freshmen, [I was] a little cocky and overconfident in myself. But you come to Vanderbilt, it changes you as a person — for the better.”
Coleman and Delay still have a chance to extend their Vanderbilt careers. The Commodores will be a No. 6 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., where they will take on South Carolina on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. CT. From there, Vanderbilt will try to engineer another run in the NCAA tournament.
No matter how the Dores finish the 2017 season, Corbin said his two seniors have already cemented their legacies at Vanderbilt.
“Two special players,” he said.