Directly upon entering the confines of Vanderbilt University’s Hawkins Field, the fan’s eye is immediately drawn to a brick pedestal, topped off with some rare hardware. As the spectators flock to their seats, it’s nearly impossible to avoid. In fact, to this day, fans still brush shoulders with the 2014 College Baseball World Series trophy every time they attend a game–despite the half-decade that’s passed since it was first brought to Nashville.
That’s quite intentional.
The 2014 College Baseball World Series trophy is put on such a prominent display because it represents everything this program stands for: greatness; grit; winning.
Five years after that highly-touted Commodore team took home the National Championship, sweeping the college baseball world by storm, they’ll have the chance to do it again.
With a 13-2 victory over the Duke Blue Devils in game three of the Nashville Super Regional, the Commodores have punched their ticket to the College Baseball World Series.
Next stop, Omaha.
This is the fourth time that Tim Corbin’s Commodores will journey to Nebraska as one of the final eight teams in the country. There will be a plethora of opposing talent standing between the Vandy Boys and another championship, but something about this team feels different.
Something about this team feels special.
Just take a look at the program’s record books, littered with tallies from the 2019 season.
Tonight, they captured their 54th win of the season–before even playing a single World Series game–which ties the school’s record.
Before they even entered the Super Regional, the Commodores broke the team’s record for home runs, runs batted in, walks, runs, and regular season batting average.
They’ve even added two more championships to their repertoire: an SEC regular season title and an SEC Tournament title.
There’s a reason why those trophies will not be displayed at the entrance for years to come. That’s because those achievements don’t represent the end-goal, they simply represent another step of the journey.
The Commodores never have, and never will settle for anything less than being the best. This year, they will have the chance to do just that, as they will compete for a chance to bring home the program’s second national championship.
If this team keeps up their high-level of play, they could very well achieve their mission. In fact, if this team keeps playing the way they have all season, Vanderbilt might have to build another pedestal.
