Week 1 Baseball Notebook

Posted by SID

Vanderbilt's Overall Record: 1-3; Record for the Week: 1-3

Last Week:
2/20 Stanford 6, Vanderbilt 5 (10)
2/21 Vanderbilt 12, Stanford 9 (Game 1)
2/21 Stanford 6, Vanderbilt 5 (Game 2)
2/23 Cal 4, Vanderbilt 3

This Week (Buy Tickets):
2/25 vs. Western Kentucky - 4 p.m. at Hawkins Field
2/27 vs. Vermont - 6 p.m. at Hawkins Field
2/28 vs. Vermont - 2 p.m. at Hawkins Field
3/1 vs. Vermont - 1 p.m. at Hawkins Field

Notes:
Vanderbilt went 1-3 in its opening week of action, with all three losses by one run. The team held a lead deep into every game but were unable to close them out. The Commodores carried a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning in the opener against Stanford, only to lose 6-5 in extra innings. They had a 12-1 lead in the eighth inning of Game 2 and gave up seven runs in the inning and held on for a 12-9 win. VU had a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth against Stanford in the third game before giving up three runs in the frame to lose 6-5. Then they closed out the West Coast trip, holding a 3-2 lead in the ninth against Cal before the Bears plated two runs in their final at-bat to win 4-3.

The starting pitcher was solid throughout the week with every starter pitching into the sixth inning. Caleb Cotham picked up the lone win with a seven-inning, seven strikeout performance against Stanford in the second game of the series … Sean Bierman scattered six hits over six innings of work in his first start of the year with five strikeouts and two walks … Freshman Sonny Gray was impressive in two relief appearances pitching four scoreless innings with four strikeouts and one walk while allowing three hits.

Fourth-year junior Brian Harris has become the catalyst of the offense in the leadoff spot, leading the team with a .385 batting average with a homer and four RBI. He has also shown a knack for getting on base with a .579 on-base percentage … Redshirt freshman Aaron Westlake made a nice return to his home state, going 5-for-14 (.357) on the week … Jason Esposito made his first collegiate homerun a memorable one, hitting a grand-slam in the 12-9 win over Stanford … In all five players saw their first significant action as starters over the week including true freshmen Jason Esposito and Riley Reynolds.

The 1-3 start is the slowest the Commodores have gotten off to in the Tim Corbin era. The last time VU has started 1-3 was in 2000 under head coach Roy Mewbourne … The Commodores will open a nine-game homestand Wednesday afternoon against Western Kentucky.