VANDERBILT RE-VU
The Commodores won the Clemson Regional Monday night with an 8-0 shutout victory over Clemson. Matt Ruppenthal pitched six scoreless innings in the win with Will Toffey belting a pair of homers and driving in five en route to earning Regional MVP honors. Vanderbilt was forced to a Game 7 with a 6-0 loss to Clemson late on Sunday night. Drake Fellows took the tough-luck loss despite allowing two runs on six hits over 6.2 innings. Vanderbilt topped host Clemson 9-4 on Saturday night behind a solid start from Kyle Wright. The big right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits over seven innings to earn the win. The Commodores cruised to a 13-4 win over St. John’s in the Clemson Regional opener on Friday. Will Toffey scored four runs, drove in three and had four hits.
ON THE BUMP
Friday, June 9
RHP Patrick Raby (10-3) vs. TBA
Saturday, June 10
RHP Kyle Wright (5-5) vs. TBA
VU IN SUPER REGIONALS
The Commodores are in the program’s fourth NCAA Super Regional in the last five years after winning the Clemson Regional last weekend. The trip to Super Regionals is the seventh in Vanderbilt history – all under head coach Tim Corbin – with the Dores owning a 7-7 record in the previous six series. Corbin took just his second team at VU to Texas for a Super Regional in 2004 for the first-ever Super Regional in school history then made three straight Super Regional appearances 2013-15. The trip to Oregon State marks the fourth time the Commodores will travel for a Super with the last coming at Illinois in 2015.
BATTLING THE BEAVERS
Vanderbilt and Oregon State meet for the second time in NCAA Super Regionals. The two school’s met in 2011 at Hawkins Field with the Commodores taking the series in two games to advance to the program’s first-ever College World Series. Aaron Westlake produced one of the greatest games in Vanderbilt history in the clinching-game, hitting three home runs and driving in six runs. The only other meeting between the Dores and Beavers came in the 2008 season opener with VU winning 8-1.
TOFFEY RETURNS ON FIRE
Since missing five games in early May with a shoulder injury, Will Toffey has been on fire. The junior has been white-hot over his last 11 games going 24-for-48 (.500) with 22 RBIs, 17 runs and six home runs. He wrecked the Clemson Regional, earning MVP honors after going 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, three home runs, eight runs scored and 10 RBIs.
1-2 PUNCH
The Commodores’ pitching staff has a stout 1-2 punch at the top with right-handers Patrick Raby and Kyle Wright. Raby enters the weekend as just the 13th Commodore in history to win 10-plus games, matching Sonny Gray (2010), Jeremy Sowers (2004) and Jack Nuismer (1979) for eighth on the single-season list. The sophomore already has 17 career victories. Wright has dominated over his last nine starts, striking out 79 while walking just 16 and allowing teams to hit just .169 over 64.2 innings
OFFENSIVE AWAKENING
The Vanderbilt offense woke up during last weekend’s trip to Clemson with the Commodores posting 13-plus hits in three of the team’s four games and hitting .336 as a team thanks to 49 total hits. Vandy outscored St. John’s and Clemson 30-14 in the four games with 13 extra-base hits, including eight doubles in Saturday’s win vs. the Tigers. The production was steady throughout the lineup with 11 different Commodores collecting at least one hit and nine of those 11 recording at least three over the weekend.