May 31, 2009
Vanderbilt Postgame Notes
* Vanderbilt advances to its fourth NCAA regional final (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009) in five appearances under head coach Tim Corbin with the 6-0 win over Middle Tennessee. The Commodores will turnaround and play Louisville (46-15) at 6 p.m. CT. Should Vanderbilt defeat Louisville this evening, the two teams will play again on Monday at 6 p.m. CT to determine the Louisville Regional victor.
* Vanderbilt moves its record to 14-15 all-time at the NCAA Tournament, including 11-9 under seventh-year head coach Tim Corbin. The Commodores lead the all-time series against the Blue Raiders 82-40. The two squads split four meetings this season, including two at the Louisville NCAA Regional. Middle Tennessee edged Vanderbilt 5-4 on Friday, May 29.
* Right-handed starter Caleb Cotham (7-5) pitched Vanderbilt’s first complete-game shutout in an NCAA tournament game, allowing four hits while striking out eight. It was the sophomore’s first career complete-game shutout. His eight strikeouts were the most since he fanned 12 in a complete-game win against Arkansas (4/11). Cotham leads all Vanderbilt pitchers with seven wins on the season.
* Cotham retired 11 consecutive Middle Tennessee batters before Tyler Burnett led off the ninth with a single to center.
* Cotham pitched out of three Blue Raider scoring threats early. With a Middle Tennessee runner on second base and one out in the first inning, the sophomore coaxed a pair of ground outs. MTSU’s Blake McDade led off the second inning with a single and reached second base after a ground out to first before Cotham retired the next two Middle Tennessee batters. In the fifth, the Raiders managed to reach second base after Stuart Meinhart singled and stole second with one out. But Cotham again pitched out of the jam getting a strikeout and a fly out.
* The four hits allowed to Middle Tennessee were the fewest in a complete-game shutout by the Commodores in NCAA Tournament history. The previous low was five hits surrendered by Ryan Mullins vs. Princeton (6/5/04).
* Vanderbilt has now posted consecutive shutouts at the Louisville Regional, including yesterday’s second-round, 10-0 win over Indiana. Commodore pitchers have tossed 19 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball at the Louisville Regional since the ninth inning of their 5-4 loss to Middle Tennessee on Friday. The consecutive shutouts are Vanderbilt’s first in its NCAA Tournament history.
* Vanderbilt hitters have hit nine home runs in seven postseason games this season. The Commodores have homered at least once in six of those contests. Vanderbilt homered in each of four games at the Southeastern Conference Tournament and two of three games at the Louisville Regional [solo homer by Brian Harris vs. Indiana (5/30); solo homer by Aaron Westlake vs. Middle Tennessee (5/31); two-run homer by Jonathan White (5/31)].
* Commodore hitters managed two runs and three hits through the first seven innings before exploding for a four-run, six-hit eighth inning against the Blue Raiders. Jonathan White’s two-run homer to right and run-scoring singles by Andrew Giobbi and Jason Esposito keyed the spurt.
* White’s two-run homer in the eighth extended his hitting streak to 11 games. It was the second homer by the fifth-year senior this season [South Carolina (5/2)].
* Brian Westlake hit a solo home run to right field in the second to give Vanderbilt a 1-0 lead. The long ball was Westlake’s ninth home run this season and the sixth homer during the month of May. Westlake leads all Commodore hitters at the Louisville Regional with a .500 batting average (6-for-12) to go along with a home run, three RBI, three doubles and four runs scored.
* Steven Liddle’s sacrifice fly to right-center field in the sixth inning extended Vanderbilt’s lead to 2-0. It marked the sophomore’s 49th RBI of the season.
