Check out what Vanderbilt student-athletes have been up to this past month, from a VandyBoys 13-game winning streak to basketball transfer portal updates.
Men’s basketball
Following their SEC elimination against Texas A&M and Commodore Nation’s disappointment after not receiving a NCAA Tournament bid, the ‘Dores entered the NIT Tournament as the No. 2 seed. On March 12, Vanderbilt faced Yale at Memorial, defeating the Bulldogs 71-62. Starting off with an 11-0 lead, the Commodores powered through the game.
The Commodores then faced the Michigan Wolverines on March 18, winning 66-65. With only 58 seconds left before the final buzzer, Vanderbilt scored 8 points. This win advanced them to the quarterfinals against UAB.
Unfortunately, the ‘Dores fell to UAB, with a final score of 67-59, and the men’s basketball season ended for Vanderbilt with this loss.
Next season’s team will look slightly different, as six players have entered the transfer portal. Jordan Wright announced his transfer to LSU, and Quentin Millora-Brown, Myles Stute, Malik Dia, Noah Shelby and Trey Thomas have also entered the portal.
Baseball
The VandyBoys began their SEC season on March 16. At Hawkins Field, the Commodores faced Ole Miss, the No. 3 team. The ‘Dores defeated the Rebels — the defending national champions — 12-2 on Thursday, 8-0 on Friday and 7-2 on Saturday.
The VandyBoys continued their dominant SEC play against Mississippi State the following weekend. The team scored 55 runs in Starkville over three games, a stark contrast to the last time the two teams faced off in the 2021 College World Series Championship.
Vanderbilt came back home to face Lipscomb on March 28, defeating the Bison 11-1. Profits from this game were donated to The Covenant School Fund following the shooting on March 27.
Back at the Hawk, the VandyBoys swept in a series against Georgia that started on March 31. On the first day, the ‘Dores won 9-2. The Commodores stayed dominant the following day, winning 16-8. Vanderbilt ran out of steam a little bit on Sunday but still defeated the Bulldogs 4-0. This win secured Vanderbilt as the only team in the SEC without a conference loss at that point in the season.
On April 4, the VandyBoys extended their win streak to 12 games with a home victory against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
“Defensively, we’ve been very consistent,” head coach Tim Corbin said following the game. “We haven’t given up extra bases that way. We’re making plays, and our pitching has been more than solid, even on a night like tonight.”
Men’s tennis
The men’s tennis team had their final doubleheader of the 2023 season at home on March 18. Although they lost to Florida 3-4, they came back later that afternoon, defeating Butler 4-3.
The following weekend, the ‘Dores lost against Mississippi State 2-5 on March 24. They faced another 2-5 home loss playing against Ole Miss on March 26.
Vanderbilt played two matches in Alabama the next weekend. On March 31, the Commodores came back strong, defeating Alabama 6-1. Two days later, they faced a tough game where they lost against Auburn 0-4.
Back at home, the men’s team faced another loss against Texas A&M on April 7. They played Kentucky next at an away game on April 9 and lost 2-4. Only one game remains before the start of the SEC tournament, which will be held April 19-23 at Auburn, Alabama.
Women’s tennis
The women’s tennis team defeated Bellarmine 4-0 and Alabama 4-0 on March 31. The team only played singles matches against Bellarmine, and Vanderbilt clinched the match after winning four straight singles matches.
Against No. 53 Alabama, No. 37 Vanderbilt won in both singles and doubles matches, with a final score of 4-0. On April 2, the Commodores lost 2-5 to the Auburn Tigers.
Lacrosse
Between March 21 and April 1, the lacrosse team played against Townson, Old Dominion and East Carolina. After going into overtime against the Townson Tigers on March 21, the Commodores lost 15-14. They returned with a win against Old Dominion 17-7 on March 25. However, a week later, they lost once again to East Carolina 15-10 on April 1.
Soccer
The soccer team hosted an exhibition against Toronto Blizzard on March 21. Three more scrimmages were held in Nashville against UAB, Memphis and Lipscomb between March 26 to April 6. Vanderbilt will play Samford a scrimmage in Homewood, Alabama next on April 16 at 1 p.m. CDT.
