As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, there is one thing on most Vanderbilt Baseball fans’ minds: opening day at Hawkins Field. Last year, Vanderbilt baseball had an overall record of 42-20 and went 19-11 in conference play en route to winning the 2023 SEC Championship. However, the VandyBoys were eliminated from the postseason play at home in the regional round. With a No. 6 national ranking from D1Baseball’s preseason list, the anticipation among fans is palpable. The Commodores will look to repeat the program’s consistent success on the backs of an experienced pitching staff, infield and promising pop and speed among first-years.
With all this being said, let’s look at some of the more crucial games and series the VandyBoys will play to remain one of the country’s top teams and carry them to their final destination of Omaha, Neb. The road to the College World Series starts at Hawkins Field on Feb. 16.
Notable nonconference games and series:
The VandyBoys will begin their season with a 10-game home stretch. Weekend series opponents during this stretch include Florida Atlantic University and Gonzaga, while mid-week matchups include Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State and Evansville.
While none of these teams are ranked for the preseason, FAU and Gonzaga appeared in the NCAA postseason in 2019 and 2022, respectively. Additionally, FAU and Gonzaga play strong schedules, of which many opponents made regional appearances last year. Gonzaga will play Oregon State (who eliminated Vanderbilt from the regional in 2022) on two different occasions. Vanderbilt played Evansville last season, where the Commodores came away with a 2-1 win in 17 innings. In addition, Indiana State defeated Vanderbilt in 2023, winning 10-2 in one of the few games at home the Commodores dropped. Starting strong at home, where the Commodores went 26-8 last season, will be necessary.
The start of March will bring some of the most crucial nonconference games the VandyBoys will play. From March 1-3, the Commodores will travel to Houston, Texas, to participate in the 2024 Astros Foundation College Classic, where they will face critical opponents in the University of Louisiana, Houston and Texas. The University of Louisiana has one of the best transfer classes in the nation at No. 21, and shortstop Kyle DeBarge earned a third-team All-American nod from Perfect Game. Texas is a consistent name among the top teams in collegiate baseball, earning a No. 16 preseason ranking and coming off of a season where they won the Big 12 Championship and advanced to the super regional round of postseason play.
Other notable nonconference games will be the annual Battle of the Barrel game against Louisville, a projected regional pick and always a contender in the ACC, and Illinois State, which the Commodores will host for a weekend series from March 8-10.
Winning the majority of nonconference games will be critical to the success of the VandyBoys this season. These wins will allow the Commodores to have a winning record going into a very competitive SEC schedule while leveraging on the success that nonconference opponents will have in their conference.
Notable conference games and series:
Competing in the SEC means that almost every weekend series is a notable conference game. Five of the ten weekend SEC series will be against preseason top 25 teams. That being said, some matchups will be particularly key in gaining seed consideration for both the SEC tournament and postseason play.
The first conference weekend series will be against Auburn at home. While left out of the top 25 preseason rankings, Auburn will be a good first-weekend test for the Commodores. Under head coach Butch Thompson, the Auburn Tigers have consistently been able to stretch their roster and remain competitive in the SEC. Auburn will return most of its roster from last season and benefit from the addition of several talented players through the transfer portal.
Vanderbilt will hit the road for the first time in SEC play by traveling to Columbia, S.C. to face preseason No. 25 South Carolina. South Carolina goes into this season coming off a super regional appearance in 2023. South Carolina is returning a key trio to their high-octane offense from last year: Cole Messina, Ethan Petry and Gavin Casas, who batted for a combined 59 home runs in 2023. The Gamecocks also added former Commodore Parker Noland to their roster in the offseason.
The two back-to-back away weekend series of LSU and Texas A&M, ranked No. 4 and No. 8, respectively, will be essential mid-season tests for the Commodores. Despite losing two players to the MLB draft’s first round, LSU returns one of the deeper pitching staffs in the SEC by utilizing the transfer portal. This depth of the pitching staff, paired with experience behind the plate and the return of several All-Americans in the field, make LSU one of the most highly-touted teams in the nation headed into the 2024 season. In these series, the Commodores must show they have what it takes to go on the road against tough opponents.
Finally, the Commodores will look to secure series victories at home against the two ranked opponents and offensive powerhouses in No. 9 Tennessee and No. 2 Florida. After getting swept by Tennessee in Knoxville last year, the VandyBoys will be looking to prove they are the premier baseball team in the state. Tennessee, who is coming off an appearance in the Men’s College World Series, will have a relatively young pitching staff. However, its power-packed batting lineup will challenge the Commodores’ weekend starters. Against Florida, the VandyBoys will attempt to earn a statement win against a team with perhaps the best returning collegiate player in first baseman and left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone. Florida, who led the nation last year in home runs, will return five players with double-digit home run numbers in the 2023 season.
Key takeaways:
By design, the baseball season and the road to Omaha is long and trying. The VandyBoys will be tested consistently in nonconference and conference play, with 46% (26 of 56) of games against teams that reached the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That being said, Vanderbilt is returning a roster that is very talented and experienced while adding the No. 4 high school recruitment class to its depth chart. Continue to expect a strong season from Corbin & Co. on the backs of dependable defensive performances amid the powerhouse offensive era of collegiate baseball.
