Vanderbilt Baseball went into Oklahoma on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Florida and soundly defeating Dayton. The Commodores’ offense was showing signs of life going into the Sooner State.
However, things came to a halt in the team’s opening game the night of April 11, when Vanderbilt lost 4-9. It then lost in a seven-inning run rule, 0-14, the next day, exposing an inconsistent offense and some pitching flaws. Vanderbilt bounced back in a huge way and won on April 13, 13-2, in eight innings thanks to a run rule, avoiding the sweep, displaying some bright spots and staying above .500 (8-7) in SEC play.
Three up
Holcomb’s hot
Head coach Tim Corbin decided to put Braden Holcomb in the starting lineup on Sunday, and it paid off big time. Holcomb went 2-for-5 with 4 RBI and a 2-run home run. It has already been established that Vanderbilt’s lineup is lacking in power compared to its SEC peers, and Holcomb might be the answer to that problem. Riley Nelson brings essential slugging to this lineup at first base, but the power potential that Holcomb brings to the plate is enough to put him anywhere in the lineup every day so he can develop. If your team is getting out-slugged, it’s time to bring the power off the bench.
Lineup changes
After the lackluster offensive performances on Friday and Saturday, Corbin decided to experiment with the lineup, and it paid off. First, he moved Jonathan Vastine, who has been on a tear in SEC play, from the nine-hole to leadoff. Vastine thrived as the leadoff hitter, going 2-for-5. Corbin also brought the aforementioned Holcomb into the lineup. Finally, he made Nelson the three-hole hitter, instead of RJ Austin. It paid off dividends; Nelson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two RBIs. These offensive experiments, beefing up the top of the order to generate more runs, are a great first step toward solving the team’s power issues.
Fennell fireballs
Connor Fennell has stepped up significantly since he was thrust into the third starting role, replacing Ethan McElvain who struggled on the mound. The sophomore pitcher has made Sundays winnable for the Commodores, as evident with his 4.1 inning,1 earned run performance against the Sooners this weekend. (Sawyer Hawks pitched the last 3.2 innings of Sunday’s game to secure the Commodore win, displaying his durability once again.) Fennell has performed well as a starter and become one of Vanderbilt’s most consistent pitchers. Expect the Commodores to lean on Fennell until he gives them a reason not to, especially with Cody Bowker and JD Thompson’s inconsistencies.
Three down
Starting pitching
Thompson and Bowker started off impressively this season and quelled any concerns about Vanderbilt Baseball by willing their team to win with their arms. However, as SEC play has heated up, the duo has slowly faltered. There were signs of cracks last week when both Thompson and Bowker went 4.2 innings at Florida. Both outings were scoreless, but the lack of usage, especially during SEC play, was unusual and unsustainable going forward. This weekend? It was both usage and performance that caught up with the pair. Thompson went five innings with four earned runs, and Bowker went three innings with four earned runs.
Vanderbilt’s bullpen has proven itself all season and can eat large chunks of innings, but with Vanderbilt’s offense already facing problems of its own, Bowker and Thompson need to stay on the mound for as long as they can. More importantly, they need to prevent runs.
Hot-headed Humphrey
Humphrey, one of Vanderbilt’s leading offensive contributors, was ejected from Sunday’s game after a verbal scuffle with Oklahoma’s first basemen. The outfielder was hit by two pitches and collided with Oklahoma’s third baseman during the game before he was ejected. Emotions must have been running high this past weekend for this Vanderbilt team, which is understandable, but it all erupted for Humphrey on the day Vanderbilt won. His absence will definitely be felt during his one-game suspension, which will be served against Lipscomb on April 15.
Inconsistencies
This Vanderbilt team is lacking an offensive identity, and it will continue to hurt the team as it seeks to host an NCAA Regional. Power is lacking, often leading the Commodores to resort to contact. However, the Commodores are so susceptible to hitting slumps that it might be an overstatement to call this team a contact-hitting team. Pitching has helped to get Vanderbilt this far, but the team has reached its ceiling until the offense takes the next step.
With a gauntlet of an SEC schedule coming up, Vanderbilt will have to rekindle its offensive fire if it wants a chance to make a run at Hoover, host a regional or reach the College World Series.
Vanderbilt will face Lipscomb at Hawkins Field on April 15th at 6 p.m. CDT as it seeks to continue its midweek winning streak.
