Traveling to Tuscaloosa

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 6 Vanderbilt embarks on its third SEC road trip of the season, visiting Alabama for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. from Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Saturday’s middle game gets underway at 8 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is at 1 p.m.

The opener and finale can be seen on the SEC Network Plus while Saturday’s matchup can be seen on the SEC Network. All three games can be heard on WNSR 560 AM/95.9 FM and VUCommodores.com.

The Commodores (28-9, 9-6 SEC) enter Friday tied for second in the SEC and one game behind league-leaders Georgia and Mississippi State. Vanderbilt is searching for its first road league series win. The Dores have captured all three home conference sets, going 7-2 in those contests.

Alabama (24-14, 4-11 SEC) is looking for its second series victory. The Crimson Tide took 2-for-3 from South Carolina two weekends ago but were swept at the hands of Mississippi State last weekend. Alabama ranks third in the league in fielding percentage (.980), sixth in average (.269) and sixth in ERA (3.61).

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
– FRIDAY: RHP Drake Fellows (7-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Sam Finnerty (5-4, 3.50 ERA)
– SATURDAY: RHP Kumar Rocker (3-4, 4.75 ERA) vs. RHP Brock Love (4-2, 3.96 ERA)
– SUNDAY: TBA vs. TBA

NEED TO KNOW
Vanderbilt and Alabama meet for the 161st time in the history of the programs on Friday. The Crimson Tide lead the series 95-62-3. Vanderbilt is 12-4-1 in the last 17 matchups (2010-present).

The last time teams met (May 20, 2017), they tied, 3-3. It marked Vanderbilt’s first tie since 1993. This weekend marks Vandy’s first visit to Tuscaloosa since 2012. In 2015, the clubs played in Hoover when Sewell-Thomas underwent renovations.

Vanderbilt ranks first in the SEC in triples (13) and second in hits (400), batting average (.309), slugging percentage (.498) and doubles (81). Vandy has scored five-plus runs 27 times. The Dores have produced 10-plus runs 15 times.

UP NEXT
Vanderbilt is off during the midweek. The squad returns to action Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s middle game gets underway at 7 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is at 1 p.m. All three contests can be heard on WNSR 560 AM/95.9 FM and VUCommodores.com.