April 23, 2018
Vanderbilt Baseball Weekly Report
Overall Record: 24-16, 10-8 SEC
Streak: W1
Last Week’s Results (2-2)
Tuesday, April 17 vs. Evansville – Win, 6-1
Thursday, April 19 at Missouri – Loss, 2-1
Friday, April 20 at Missouri – Loss, 3-1
Saturday, April 21 at Missouri – Win, 6-2
This Week (Times Central)
Friday, April 27 vs. South Carolina – 6:30 p.m. [SEC Network+]
Saturday, April 28 vs. South Carolina – 2:00 p.m. [SEC Network+]
Sunday, April 29 vs. South Carolina – 1:00 p.m. [SEC Network+]
Freshman of the Week Nominee
Austin Martin – UTL – 6-0 – 170 – Jacksonville, Fla.
Weekly totals: 4 G/4 GS, 18 AB, 2 R, 9 H, 3 RBI, 10 TB, 2 SB
– Recorded a base knock in all four games, extending his hitting streak to 13 games – the longest for a Vanderbilt freshman in five years (Xavier Turner – 2013)
– Led VU with a .500 average (9-for-18) alongside 10 total bases in four games in the leadoff spot
– Martin finished 8-for-14 with three RBIs and logged multi-hit performances in three games against a Missouri team that entered Saturday second in the SEC for ERA (3.06)
– Upped his SEC-leading stolen base mark to 17 with two in as many tries against Mizzou
Pitcher of the Week Nominee
Mason Hickman – RHP – 6-6 – 230 – Hendersonville, Tenn.
Weekly totals: 1 G/1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
– Blanked Missouri while leading Vanderbilt to a 6-2 victory on Sunday in Columbia
– Limited the Tigers to four hits and a .160 average in the finale
– Picked up his seventh victory after entering the weekend tied for third nationally among all freshman hurlers in wins
– Capped a stellar weekend performance for VU starting pitchers who allowed just one earned run and 11 hits while posting a 19-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21 innings
Commodore Notes
Vanderbilt opened and closed its week with wins as part of a 2-2 stretch … Vandy 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. The bullpen followed suit as four Commodore relievers held the Purple Aces to 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. After playing five games in seven days, the Commodores will be off during the midweek. Vanderbilt could not capitalize during key moments at the plate, overshadowing a strong start from Drake Fellows in a series-opening 2-1 loss against Missouri on Thursday night at Taylor Stadium. Fellows (4-3) retired the final seven batters he faced and matched a season high with nine strikeouts in the loss. Austin Martin led the way for Vanderbilt, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Missouri used a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded in the eighth to catapult the Tigers to a series-clinching 3-1 victory against No. 10 Vanderbilt on Friday night. For a second-straight night, Vanderbilt was limited to just one run, once again coming off the bat of Austin Martin. The freshman extended his hit streak to 12 games and evened the game with an RBI-single to left in the third. Vanderbilt found its groove offensively, pounding out 12 hits while scoring in four-straight innings, to salvage the series finale and defeat Missouri, 6-2 on Saturday afternoon. After being held to a combined 13 hits and two runs through the first two games of the set, the Dores put single runs across in the fourth and fifth before breaking things open with three in the sixth. Starter Mason Hickman held the Tigers in check while matching a season-high seven innings of work in the victory. The Dores return to action on Friday, opening a three-game series against South Carolina at Hawkins Field at 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s middle game is set for 2 p.m. while Sunday’s finale will get underway at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.