April 18, 2018
Vanderbilt Game Notes | Missouri Game Notes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Vanderbilt hits the road and looks to continue its hot start in Southeastern Conference play, visiting Missouri for three games at Taylor Stadium beginning Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
The opener will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Mike Couzens and David Dellucci on the call. Friday’s middle game is slated for 6:30 p.m. and Saturday’s finale will get underway at 2 p.m. Both matchups can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
Fans can listen to all three games courtesy of the vucommodores app as well as locally on WNSR 560 AM/95.9 FM with Joe Fisher on the call. Pre-game coverage begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
ON THE BUMP
Thursday, April 19
RHP Drake Fellows (4-2, 3.27 ERA) vs. LHP T.J. Sikkema (2-3, 2.82 ERA)
Friday, April 20
TBA vs. LHP Tyler LaPlante (4-2, 2.18 ERA)
Saturday, April 21
TBA vs. LHP Michael Plassmeyer (4-1, 1.96 ERA)
NEED TO KNOW
Vanderbilt enters Thursday having won six of its last seven games including a pair of wild wins in doubleheader action against No. 5 Ole Miss on Sunday. SEC Freshman of the Week Austin Martin is batting .375 (9-for-24) in the last seven games while Connor Kaiser is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with five runs, five RBIs and a home run.
Vanderbilt has won four of its first five SEC series for the first time since accomplishing the feat in 2015. That team went on to play Virginia in the College World Series finals.
The Commodores have scored a combined 36 runs over their last six games including eight runs on three occasions. Vandy had produced a combined 35 runs over its 12 games prior to the stretch (March 18-April 5).
The Dores rank second nationally and are first in the SEC with a .985 fielding percentage. Vandy has committed just 20 errors in 1,301 total chances. The team fielding percentage record is .979, set in 2015.
Vandy has stolen 68 bases this season, ranking 13th nationally and first in the SEC. The Commodores have swiped more than twice as many bags as they had through 37 games a season ago (32).
The Commodores are 14-7 against ranked teams this season. Vandy boasts the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule — trailing only West Virginia, Miami (FL) and Rhode Island — and enters Thursday No. 21 in the RPI.
INSIDE THE SERIES VS. MIZZOU
The Commodores have won 16 of 17 games against Mizzou since the Tigers joined the SEC for the 2013 season. Vandy has won all six previous SEC matchups against the Tigers in Columbia, Mo., with the last visit coming in 2015.
Vandy took 2-of-3 a season ago at Hawkins Field, clinching the series with a 14-5 victory in the series finale.
Julian Infante drove in seven runs and Zach King turned in 5.1 no-hit innings to lead Vanderbilt to a series-clinching 14-5 win last year at Hawkins Field. Infante’s seven RBIs were the most by a Commodore since Dominic de la Osa drove in seven against Georgia in 2006.
BATTING A THOUSAND
Thursday’s matchup at Missouri will mark the 1,000th game coached for Tim Corbin at Vanderbilt. The 16th-year head man will become the 25th active head coach to reach 1,000 games at his current institution.
Corbin is set to become the eighth skipper in SEC history to coach 1,000 games at a league institution and second Vanderbilt coach, joining Roy Mewbourne (1,264 games). Ole Miss’ head coach Mike Bianco, who has coached 1,095 games, is the lone current SEC skipper with 1,000 or more games.
VANDERBILT RE-VU
Vanderbilt second baseman Ethan Paul belted two home runs and Commodore pitching limited Evansville to four hits in a 6-1 victory on Tuesday night at Hawkins Field.
The No. 10 Commodores managed just six hits but made the most of opportunities, putting across four runs with two down including a two-run homer from Paul to ignite the scoring in the third. Making his first career start, redshirt freshman Reid Schaller (1-0) was masterful, retiring all nine batters he faced while striking out four in the win.