May 3, 2018
Games 45-47
Friday, May 4 – Sunday, May 6 • Auburn, Ala. • Plainsman Park
No. 23 Vanderbilt (25-19, 11-10 SEC) vs. Auburn (31-14, 10-11 SEC)
VU Game Notes • Auburn Game Notes
AUBURN, Ala. – Vanderbilt opens a three-game series and begins a stretch of six of its next seven on the road Friday at Auburn.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT. The two teams will square off in the middle game on Saturday at 2 p.m. while Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus. Fans can also 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.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• FRIDAY: RHP Drake Fellows (4-3, 3.62 ERA) vs. RHP Casey Mize (8-2, 2.40)
• SATURDAY: RHP Patrick Raby (3-4, 2.41 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Burns (3-4, 2.62)
• SUNDAY: RHP Mason Hickman (7-1, 3.78 ERA) vs. TBA
NEED TO KNOW
In a combined 27 starts, hurlers Drake Fellows (Friday), Patrick Raby (Saturday) and Mason Hickman (Sunday) have registered a 3.55 ERA. The unit has struck out 139 batters against just 56 walks in 149.1 innings. Vandy’s bullpen ranks second nationally with 11.06 strikeouts-per-nine innings but ranks seventh in the SEC with a 4.04 ERA.
Commodore freshmen batters have made a combined 148 starts. That mark leads the nation and is 27 more than UNCW which is second with 121. Three players have made 30-plus starts, which trails only Utah’s four.
Vandy has stolen 84 bases this season, 11th nationally, and first in the SEC. The total is already 30 more than the squad finished with a season ago (54). Four Commodores have registered double-digit stolen bases and 14 different players have swiped at least one bag this season.
Vanderbilt played error-free baseball for the 25th time this season on Saturday vs. South Carolina, improving to 16-9 in those games. The Commodores are fourth nationally and second in the SEC with a .982 fielding percentage. The program record for fielding percentage is .979, set in 2015.
Vanderbilt has been ranked in the D1Baseball.com Top 25 all 12 weeks this season and 13 straight overall dating to the final 2017 rankings. The Commodores, who climbed as high as No. 8 (March 13 and March 26) this season, currently sit at No. 23.
Vandy turned the page to the month of May on Tuesday after an up-and-down April. The Commodores finished the month at 8-8 after dropping four of their final six games. Prior to that losing stretch, the Dores had won six of seven. The Black and Gold have produced a winning record during the month of May in each of the last eight seasons.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP VS. AUBURN
Vanderbilt visits Auburn for the first time since 2015, kicking off the eighth weekend of SEC play on Friday. The Tigers own a 93-61-1 advantage all-time, although Vandy has won six consecutive series and five straight games.
The Commodores own a 25-9 lead in the series in the Tim Corbin era (2003-present) and have won nine of the last 10.
Auburn assistant coach Karl Nonemaker was a four-year starter at Vanderbilt (1999-02) including being named a Freshman All-American in 1999 and First-Team All-SEC outfielder in 2000. He received his degree from Vanderbilt in 2002 and ranks second in VU history in career hits (283) and is tied for second in career batting average (.369).
UP NEXT: VANDY HOSTS TENNESSEE TECH
Following its trip to Auburn, the Commodores return home to face Tennessee Tech on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting vucommodores.com. Fans can also purchase by calling 615.322.GOLD (4653) or 1-877-44-VANDY.
Vanderbilt is 43-22 all-time against Tennessee Tech but lost the matchup 5-2 a season ago. The Golden Eagles are currently ranked No. 25 by D1Baseball.com and enter the weekend tops in the country in several offensive categories including batting average (.356), scoring (11.0), on-base percentage (.451) and slugging (.625).
The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a `VandyBoys’ pin. Two-dollar Tuesday also returns for another week at Hawkins Field with hot dogs and popcorn on sale for just $2 each.