Vanderbilt Baseball Weekly Report – February 26, 2024
Overall Record: 5-3, 0-0 SEC
Streak: L1
Last Week’s Results (3-2)
Tuesday, February 20 vs. Dayton – L, 5-8
Wednesday, February 21 vs. Eastern Kentucky – W, 5-3
Friday, February 23 vs. Gonzaga – W, 12-2 (8 inn.)
Saturday, February 24 vs. Gonzaga – W, 4-3
Sunday, February 25 vs. Gonzaga – L, 8-9
This Week (All times central)
Tuesday, February 27 vs. Indiana State – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 28 vs. Evansville – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 1 vs. Louisiana* – 3:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 2 vs. Houston* – 11:05 a.m.
Sunday, March 3 vs. Texas* – 11:05 a.m.
* – Minute Maid Park – Houston, Texas
Commodore Notes
The Commodores split their midweek contests this week, falling to Dayton on Tuesday before defeating Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday. Tuesday’s starting pitcher, JD Thompson, matched his career high in strikeouts with six and held Dayton to one run on three hits. Davis Diaz tallied three hits in the game. Vanderbilt bounced back from Tuesday’s loss with another strong pitching performance Wednesday. Starting pitcher Andrew Dutkanych IV struck out six over four shutout innings. Alex Kranzler tossed 2.1 innings in relief and gave up one run on two hits. Ryan Ginther worked around a pair of baserunners in the top of the ninth to earn his first career save.
The Commodores then hosted Gonzaga, winning two of three games against the Bulldogs. Vanderbilt run-ruled Gonzaga 12-2 in eight innings Friday night to take the series opener. The Commodores got a strong outing from Carter Holton in his first start since May 4, 2023. Holton went five innings and struck out eight while holding Gonzaga to two earned on two hits. The Dores used 14 hits to push 12 runs across the plate, reaching double-digit runs for the third time this season. Jayden Davis drove in three runs and a trio of Commodores recorded their first collegiate base hits in Colin Barczi, Braden Holcomb and Ray Velazquez. Holcomb’s first hit was a home run in the bottom of the eighth that put Vanderbilt up by 10 and ended the game.
Saturday’s contest provided some late-inning heroics. After falling behind 3-0 in the third inning, Vanderbilt shutout the Bulldogs over the final six frames and chipped away at the deficit, scoring once in the fourth, once in the seventh and twice in the ninth to win Game 2 and secure the series. Camden Kozeal provided Vanderbilt with its second ninth-inning walk-off of the 2024 season. With one out and the winning run on third, Kozeal fell behind 0-2 before sending the game-winning base hit back up the middle with Humphrey touching home for the 4-3 victory.
Gonzaga avoided the sweep with an eight-run seventh inning in the finale on Sunday. Vanderbilt score one in the ninth but fell 9-8.
Rankings
Team
- Doubles (24) – 1st in SEC, 6th in DI
- Stolen bases (19) – 2nd in SEC, 10th in DI
Individual
- Doubles
- Jayden Davis (5) – 1st in SEC, 17th in DI
- Davis Diaz (4) – 3rd in SEC, 40th in DI
- Troy LaNeve (4) – 3rd in SEC, 40th in DI
- Hits
- Jack Bulger (11) – 10th in SEC
- Alan Espinal (11) – 10th in SEC
- Stolen Bases
- Calvin Hewett (5) – 2nd in SEC, 26th in DI
- Jacob Humphrey (5) – 2nd in SEC, 26th in DI
- RJ Austin (4) – 5th in SEC, 58th in DI
- WHIP
- Devin Futrell (0.64) – 3rd in SEC, 49th in DI
