NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Another conference series is on the horizon, as the Vanderbilt baseball will hit the road for the second consecutive weekend. The Commodores will travel to Columbia to face the Missouri Tigers, marking their third road trip in a four-week span.
The two teams are set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Thursday, while Friday’s matchup is scheduled for 8 p.m. Game 2 of the series will be nationally televised on ESPN2, with the duo of Tom Hart and Ben McDonald on the call. The series finale between the Tigers and Commodores is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. The bookend games of the series can be seen on SEC Network+.
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
Thursday: RHP Kumar Rocker (5-0, 0.58 ERA) vs. RHP Landon Marceaux (2-2, 0.26 ERA)
Friday: RHP Jack Leiter (5-0, 0.31 ERA) vs. RHP Jaden Hill (2-2, 6.35 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Thomas Schultz (1-2, 6.19 ERA) vs. RHP AJ Labas (1-0, 2.97 ERA)
Commodore Notables
Winners of five straight, Vanderbilt looks to keep things rolling into the weekend with its second road conference series of the season at LSU.
The Commodores have scored 10+ runs in four its last five contest, totaling 47 runs across the five-game stretch. Vanderbilt is off to its best start across 23 games since 2011, when the team also started 20-3. That 2011 team went on to finish the season with a 54-12 record, while making a trip to the College World Series.
Vanderbilt is a perfect 6-for-6 in its weekend series this season, including Monday’s doubleheader with Wright State on opening weekend. The Commodores have matched up with ranked opponents on two weekends, including then-No. 16 Oklahoma State and then-No. 16 South Carolina. Vandy is a perfect 12-for-12 in its most recent SEC road games, and have won their last four conference series on the road – all three game sweeps.
The Commodores checked in at the top spot in five of the six national polls released on Monday. Vanderbilt earned the No. 1 ranking after entering the season as a consensus top-five team. Vandy has been ranked first at least once in each of the last three seasons.
Thursday’s series opener will mark the 24th time that Vanderbilt and LSU have met in the all-time history between the two programs. The Commodores trail in the all-time series, with a 43-58 record against the Tigers.
Vanderbilt took the game from the Tigers in their most recent matchup, coming in 2019 at the SEC Tournament.