Vanderbilt Baseball moved to 21-16 on the year and 7-8 in conference play after losing the last two games in its weekend series against Oklahoma at Hawkins Field.
The VandyBoys had an impressive showing on Thursday, April 9, winning 10-5 with outstanding performances by Connor Fennell on the mound and Mike Mancini at the plate. Fennell went seven innings and allowed two runs while striking out 10. With 99 pitches thrown through seven, Fennell went back out for the eighth, but gave up a double to Jason Walk, who would later score in the inning and slightly tarnish Fennell’s line on the night. Mancini blasted two home runs and totaled six runs battled in (RBIs) to help power the Commodores to a victory.
Despite Thursday being one of Vanderbilt’s best all-around games of the season, the ‘Dores couldn’t win either of the last two games of the series, marking their first SEC home series loss since March 29, 2025. The Sooners won by a combined three runs in the last two games, with a comeback 13-11 win on Friday and a 6-5 win on Saturday.
Vanderbilt had seven walk-off wins in their last 11 home SEC wins before the Oklahoma series, but the magic at Hawkins Field subsided on Friday and Saturday with the Commodores failing to take advantage of runners on base in the bottom of the ninth in both games.
Although it is easy to point to one play or pitch in a game as the reason for a win or a loss, especially in a one or two-run game, there were several reasons and trends to take away after Vanderbilt’s weekend series against Oklahoma.
Nothing can stop Mancini
Over the three-game series, Mancini reached base six times and had two home runs and a double. Mancini’s two home runs in Thursday’s game brought his total up to eight in SEC play, which is tied for the most in the conference. Mancini also ranks fourth in both on base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and RBIs in SEC play.
Last year, Mancini hit .269 with four homers and 24 RBIs in 49 games. In 35 fewer at-bats and 17 fewer games, he has already blown well past his season totals from 2025, currently hitting .336 with a .479 on-base percentage, along with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and an 11-for-11 mark on stolen bases.
The breakout has caught the eyes of many, but especially head coach Tim Corbin.
“I mean, it’s almost like the perfect college kid, really, when you’re talking about building offense. He’s a championship player,” Corbin said on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, Mancini might not be backed by a championship roster. Brodie Johnston and Tommy Goodin are the only hitters with 25 or more at-bats in SEC play who are hitting above .300, with Colin Barczi being the only other batter hitting above .250.
Now, let’s move into some areas of improvement for the Commodores.
No lead is safe
On Friday, Vanderbilt scored eight runs in the first inning. However, by only the sixth inning, they trailed 13-9.
“We don’t want to get to these last games on Sunday and give up football scores,” Corbin said following the Commodores’ win against Eastern Kentucky April 6.
Although this game wasn’t on Sunday, nor was it the series’ finale, Vanderbilt’s lack of arms has been a glaring problem. Injuries have piled up and plagued this staff, but after 37 games, there has yet to be any real hope of things improving.
In conference play, Vanderbilt owns an 8.02 ERA, the highest mark in the SEC, and the team has allowed almost 30 more runs than the next closest team. In addition, the Commodores lead the SEC in walks allowed. This is a far cry from a program that has built a reputation as a pitching powerhouse, churning out pro-grade arms year after year.
Lack of production from the bottom of the lineup
Vanderbilt’s offense is putting up runs, but its 7-8-9 hitters have been slumping, and if the VandyBoys are getting into “football scores” every weekend, they will continue to fall short.
Over the Black and Gold’s past seven games, the 7-8-9 spots have combined to go just 12-of-67 from the plate, which is a .179 batting average. They have combined for 11 RBIs and 21 strikeouts over that period as well.
In the Oklahoma series, Vanderbilt’s 7-8-9 spots combined to go 5-for-27 (.185).
The biggest slide has come from Ryker Waite and Korbin Reynolds. Waite has gone 2-of-24 over the past seven games, while Reynolds has gone 4-of-20.
All in all, if Vanderbilt continues to get poor production from the bottom part of the lineup, particularly in big games where at bats and runners in scoring position are a luxury and need to be taken advantage of. Vanderbilt will continue to struggle if a third of its lineup is failing to capitalize on and generate opportunities for the top of the lineup.
Is it time to worry?
Vanderbilt now has five SEC series left, with two big tests coming against the currently ranked No. 4 Texas Longhorns at Hawkins Field and a road series against No. 11 Alabama.
Vanderbilt is ranked No. 100 in NCAA Baseball’s rating percentage index (RPI), a critical determinant in teams receiving at-large bids for the NCAA tournament. For reference, the Commodores have not finished below the top 25 in RPI since 2008 and currently have a 17-year streak of tournament bids, the longest streak out of any Division I program.
“I think when you look at it, you go, ‘whoa,” Corbin said after the Commodores won on April 9. “But at second glance, we’re not even midway through the SEC season yet…I think it’ll shake out. If we win baseball games in the conference, then we’ll do what we’re supposed to do.”
On the season, the Commodores are 1-5 on the road and 1-5 on neutral fields. No. 4 Texas and South Carolina are the only home SEC series remaining. The ‘Dores face an uphill climb to receive an at-large bid but still control their own destiny.
Overall, Vanderbilt must turn things around fast to keep its NCAA tournament streak alive.
Vanderbilt now travels to Lexington to face Kentucky in a weekend series starting April 17.
