Redshirt sophomore Aaron Westlake was named to the Southeastern Conference's all-tournament team at the designated hitter spot.
Despite playing first base the entire tournament, Westlake made the DH spot because of his offensive numbers. He went 5-for-9 (.556) with a homer, double, two RBI and three runs scored. The cleanup hitter slugged 1.000 and also walked four times without striking out to sport a .692 on base percentage.
With the NCAA tournament fast approaching (next weekend), here is a timeline of events that will be of interest. All times listed below are Central Time.
• Regional site selections will be announced at www.ncaa.com/CWS at approximately 2:30 p.m., Sunday, May 30. The Regional site selections will also be shown on the BottomLine of the ESPN Networks throughout the evening.
• The 2010 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship 64-team field, with first-round regional pairings and site assignments, will be revealed in a live, half-hour telecast on ESPN at 11:30 a.m., Monday, May 31. The 30-minute program will originate from ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut.
• The team will have a Selection Show Viewing Party at Commodore Grill in the Holiday Inn on West End. Doors open at 11 a.m., with the general public welcome to attend.
And for those who wonder how many Regional host sites the Southeastern Conference can or will get, the most has been five (2003 and 2006). So if you haven't ordered your tickets for a potential Nashville Regional, click here.
Okay, maybe there isn't too much bright side from the SEC Tournament this year. Two losses in three games tends to put a damper on most fans' perspective and maybe comments to this post will tend towards the cynical. Still, the Commodore bullpen answered the call and appears ready to continue to be this team's major strength.
Five different Commodore relievers (Goodenow, Reid, Garvin, Clinard and Hayes) saw action over the three games; the results - two runs allowed (one earned) in 11 innings. That's a 0.82 ERA with nine strikeouts and just one walk allowed. Out of 41 total batters faced out of the bullpen, just 10 reached base and no inherited runners scored over the three games. Richie Goodenow was the only reliever to work in more than one game, keeping the Florida hitters in check for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief tonight after inducing an inning-ending double-play to get the hold in the Dores 2-0 shutout of Arkansas on opening night.
Look for the coaching staff to continue to use match-ups depending on the situation throughout the post-season. The logic is simple - if it's working, no need to change.
HOOVER, Ala.--- Preston Tucker notched two hits, including a two-run homer to lead No. 4 Florida to a 5-2 win over Vanderbilt Friday night at Regions Park.
With the loss the Commodores were eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament and dropped to 41-17 on the year.
(Posted at 7 p.m. CT) -- In the first elimination game of the day, Auburn and Ole Miss are tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth. You can follow live stats by clicking here, or watch the action on SportSouth and espn3.com.
Vanderbilt's contest with Florida will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game.
Here is Vanderbilt's starting lineup for tonight's elimination game against Florida. The Commodores have made a few changes in the lineup to try to spark the offense.
1. Brian Harris - SS
2. Bryan Johns - LF
3. Jason Esposito - 3B
4. Aaron Westlake - 1B
5. Joe Loftus - RF
6. Andrew Giobbi - C
7. Curt Casali - DH
8. Anthony Gomez - 2B
9.Mike Yastrzemski - CF
SP Jack Armstrong (7-2, 3.93 ERA)
Armstrong (7-2, 3.92 ERA) gets the ball tonight for the Commodores in the elimination game against Florida (41-14). In Armstrong's last outing, he allowed five runs, four earned on five hits in 2.1 innings of work in loss to Arkansas. Armstrong has faced the Gators once in his career, scattering four hits over six shutout frames to improve to 4-0 on the season back in Gainesville on April 4.
Florida will counter with freshman righthander Hudson Randall (6-3, 2.99 ERA). To learn more about Florida and Randall check out SID's blog where he previews the game.
Scattered storms in the Hoover area (and I do mean scattered as three miles from Regions Park at team hotel no rain yet) has caused the first game of the day to be in an indefinite delay.
Auburn and Ole Miss were scheduled to start at 3 p.m. CT and that game will be delayed a minimum of 45 minutes until the tarp is pulled.
If you're planning to attend the Commodores' game tonight, you may call 205-380-3905 for status updates and game times as information becomes available.
(Update 4:20 p.m.: The grounds crew is pulling the tarp off the field. The new start time for the Auburn-Ole Miss game will be at 4:55 p.m. Vanderbilt-Florida will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game.)
Quotes from head coach Tim Corbin, right fielder Joe Loftus, and left fielder Bryan Johns following Vanderbilt's 7-5 loss to LSU last night in the SEC Tournament. The Commodores will take on Florida in an elimination game Friday night at Regions Park.
HEAD COACH TIM CORBIN
On Austin Ross’ performance:
"He was good. After Yaz’s home run in the second inning, he had thrown basically a no-hitter up until Westlake's hit in the ninth. I thought he threw the ball down at the knees very very well."
On LSU's offense:
"(LSU's) swinging the bats well right now. They had 19 hits last night and 15 tonight, so they’re seeing the ball well. That’s a tough lineup to go through right now. I’ve seen this before with an LSU team, they’re getting it moving and they have some momentum right now. They’re probably going to be tough to beat, now that Ranaudo’s coming back a little bit and this guy (Ross) going. If they continue to hit like they are, they will be tough to beat."
On the balk situation in the ninth:
"(The umpires) said Bryan Johns put up his hand and that you can’t penalize the pitcher, but you know what, you can penalize the hitter because if they don’t call timeout, they sure can call a ball or strike. It was probably good that it didn’t happen because Johns hit a double down the line, so I should of shut my mouth to begin with and just let the kids play, but so be it."
Update on Connor Harrell’s injury:
"He was knocked out. He came into the dugout and was dizzy. That was the second time he has been knocked out this year. He ran into Yaz (on a play in the outfield) and then I think when we hit the home run he got banged again on the head. Even when he got the base hit he was kind of feeling a little tough. I hope he can play."
JOE LOFTUS
Thoughts on the offensive struggles lately:
"I’m not to worried about it but because Ross had a great night pitching and LSU is kind of on a roll right now. I’m pretty sure none of the guys are too worried about it because we know what we can do as a team. We just got a relax and I’m pretty sure we’re going to pull through it."
Thoughts on facing Florida:
"We’re going to come out tomorrow and act like it’s a new day. Tomorrow’s a new day so hopefully we can come out and swing the bats."
BRYAN JOHNS
On little ninth inning rally:
"Our team never gives up and we’ve had a lot of comeback wins during the season, so we expect to comeback everytime. Unfortunately, we fell a little short tonight."
Thoughts on LSU’s pitcher Austin Ross:
"He did a good job. He attacked the zone against us and he threw a lot of strikes. He kept the ball down all night and he mixed in his curveball and that really helped him out. He kept us off balance most of the night."
The Gators lost to the eighth seeded LSU Tigers on Wednesday, marking the fifth straight year the lowest seed in tourney has beaten the top seed.
Florida rebounded yesterday with a 5-4 win over Arkansas in an elimination game and will send freshman right-hander Hudson Randall to the mound.
UF (41-14) won the SEC regular season overall title with a 22-8 league mark and enter Friday night's game winners of 15 of its last 18 contests.
Randall is 6-3 with a team starter best 2.99 ERA. He has 52 strikeouts and 16 walks in 75.1 innings in 16 appearances, including 13 starts.
Against the Commodores on April 4, he allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits in 5.2 innings with six strikeouts and a walk in the losing effort.
Since that game he has gone 4-0 with three no-decisions in seven starts. Randall allowed two runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings with three strikeouts in his last start against South Carolina on May 21. He did not factor in the decision as the Gators won the game 5-2 to clinch the regular season crown.
In the video below, Vanderbilt outfielder Mike Yastrzemski belts a two-run homer, his second career blast, against LSU pitcher Austin Ross at the 2010 SEC Tournament inside Regions Park in Hoover, Ala.
Friday's Schedule (Elimination Games)
TV: SportSouth; Online: ESPN3.com; XM: 199; Sirius 214
Game 9: No. 2 Auburn vs. No. 6 Ole Miss - 3 p.m. CT
Game 10: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt - 30 min after
Saturday's Schedule
TV: First two games on SportSouth, last two on CSS
Online: ESPN3.com; XM: 199; Sirius 214
Game 11: No. 8 LSU vs. Game 9 winner - 9:30 a.m. CT
Game 12: No. 7 Alabama vs. Game 10 Winner - 30 min after
Game 13: If Necessary - 5 p.m. CT
Game 14: If Necessary - TBD
No. 7 seed Alabama just advanced in the winners' bracket with a 6-3 win over No. 6 seed Ole Miss Thursday evening in the third game of the day at the 2010 SEC Tournament (view bracket).
First pitch for No. 5 seed Vanderbilt's contest with No. 8 seed LSU is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at Regions Park. The game will be televised on CSS and online at ESPN3.com. Tom Hart (Play-by-Play) and Brian Jordan (Analysis) will provide commentary.
You can listen to Joe Fisher's radio call on 560 AM, VUCommodores.com, and XM Satellite Radio Channel 199 and Sirius Channel 214.
Another nice night in Hoover, temps in the high 70's, with very little wind.
The Commodores will use the same lineup, with one small order shift. Andrew Giobbi moves up to fifth, while Curt Casali drops a spot to sixth.
1. Brian Harris SS
2. Anthony Gomez 2B
3. Jason Esposito 3B
4. Aaron Westlake 1B
5. Andrew Giobbi C
6. Curt Casali DH
7. Joe Loftus RF
8. Connor Harrell CF
9. Mike Yastrzemski LF
SP: Taylor Hill (5-4, 3.68 ERA)
Hill had a masterful performance against the Tigers on May 8 in Baton Rouge, carrying a shutout into the bottom of the ninth, before giving up a two-run single with two outs in a 6-2 Vanderbilt win. He tossed his first career complete game, allowing the two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and a walk.
What was most impressive was that he stymied a LSU squad that pounded out 19 hits and scored 16 runs the previous night in a wild 16-15 win in 10 innings.
Another strong outing by Hill and the Commodores will have tomorrow off while waiting to face the winner of tomorrow's Auburn-Ole Miss elimination game. If VU were to lose tonight, they would face Florida tomorrow night in an elimination game.
First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at Regions Park.
No. 3 seed South Carolina and No. 4 seed Arkansas became the first two teams to be eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Thursday.
The Gamecocks fell to No. 2 seed Auburn 3-1 in the opening matchup of the day, and the Razorbacks dropped a 5-4 decision to No. 1 seed Florida.
The first of two winners' bracket games is in progress at Regions Park with Alabama leading Ole Miss 1-0 in the fifth inning. Vanderbilt and LSU will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game. Follow the action here
The eliminations games on Friday look like this so far... Auburn will play the loser between Alabama and Ole Miss at 3 p.m. CT, followed by Florida against the loser of the Vanderbilt and LSU game.
Cathaginian leader Hannibal Barca (248–183 BC), considered one of the greatest military tacticians ever, once proclaimed before battle: We will either find a way, or make one.
That quote came to mind when Vanderbilt manufactured their first run against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament last night after being held scoreless for the first five innings.
Aaron Westlake led off the the sixth with a walk, and then scored after a sacrifice bunt, ground out and wild pitch moved him across home plate.
The series of plays might not have been the most ideal way to get on the board -- especially without a hit -- but it resulted in the Dores' first lead of the game which proved to be the difference.
"The bunt by Curt (Casali) that moved me over to second base was huge," Westlake remarked. "We just played team baseball, especially in a park like this where it's hard to get a ball out of here. It’s more of a doubles, triples ballpark. We’re a team of pitching and defense, and manufacturing runs the way we did that first time is just what we’re about."
Westlake went the conventional route in his next at bat with a towering solo home run to the right of the 405' sign in center field. It was his fourth consecutive game going yard, each time against the Razorbacks.
Two different methods of offense, same result.
Confidence booster
As Sonny Gray told me last night, winning the first game of a double-elimination tournament is huge, no matter if you're playing summer ball as a kid, or suiting up in front of thousands of fans at the SEC Tournament.
While teams have come out of the losers' bracket before to take the title (see 2007 Vanderbilt team), it's not recommended.
With a win over LSU Thursday night, the Commodores can stay in the driver's seat to make another appearance in the championship game, a place they've been in four of the last six seasons.
Web gem
The award goes to senior shortstop Brian Harris, who stole a base hit away from Kyle Atkins in the bottom of the third. Harris dove to his left to snare the sharply-hit ground ball, and then threw a strike to Westlake at first to get the out. Watch the Play
Tweet of the day
Professional scouts and writers from across the country were in attendance Wednesday to get a first-hand look at some of the best prospects in college baseball.
Aaron Fitt from Baseball America tweeted this about Gray's performance:
"Seen some great arms today, but Sonny Gray is most electric of all. He's 93-95, touching 96, with 82-85 slider. Used SL for 2 Ks in 2nd."
Click Here to read more of Fitt's analysis of Gray.
Video of the day
Since Vanderbilt will face LSU tonight, let's look back at the greatest Tiger of all-time (with a guest appearance by acting legend Jerry O'Connell). I love how the commercial had the "time to beat" graphic at the bottom of the screen... Like we were holding our breath to see if "Vern" could break the record.
LSU leads all-time 50-33 in a series that dates back to 1954. This will be the fourth time over the last three years the teams have met in the tournament, with the Tigers winning two of the previous three.
Vanderbilt took the series in Baton Rouge (May 7-9), marking the third straight season series win over the Tigers (2006, 2007, 2010).
Today’s game is the sixth meeting all-time in the tournament with LSU holding a 5-1 record over the Commodores.
Last season the Commodores used a complete-game performance by Mike Minor (in my opinion his best ever outing at Vanderbilt) to defeat the Tigers 4-1 in the opening game of the tournament.
The Tigers "roared" back from the loser's bracket winning five straight games, including a 6-2 win over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Championship game, to capture their second straight tourney crown. Of course LSU went on to win the whole thing, marking the sixth National Championship in the program's history.
With several of the starters back, LSU jumped out to a great start this year and on April 21st were 32-6 overall and 11-4 in league play. Since that time the Tigers have faltered, going 5-14 overall and 3-11 in SEC action.
The Tigers opened the second season with a convincing 10-6 win over No. 1 seed Florida last night and many media types are saying that they appeared to have their swagger back.
LSU will throw junior right-hander Austin Ross (4-4, 5.13 ERA) tonight. He allowed two runs on five hits in 5.1 innings with four strikeouts and no walks and did not factor in the decision in his start against Vanderbilt on May 9.
In his last outing against Mississippi State on May 21, Ross allowed three runs on four hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and no walks in the 17-3 win. On the year he has posted 86 strikeouts and 17 walks in 73.2 innings pitched.
Redshirt sophomore Aaron Westlake was named to the Southeastern Conference's all-tournament team at the designated hitter spot.
Click Here to View Jimmy Jones' photos of Vanderbilt's 5-2 loss to Florida Friday night at the SEC Tournament.
HOOVER, Ala.--- Preston Tucker notched two hits, including a two-run homer to lead No. 4 Florida to a 5-2 win over Vanderbilt Friday night at Regions Park.
by Barca Blog
By Travis Young
by SID (Photos by Jimmy Jones)
by Travis Young (Photo by Jimmy Jones)
The Gators lost to the eighth seeded LSU Tigers on Wednesday, marking the fifth straight year the lowest seed in tourney has beaten the top seed.
Click here to view Jimmy Jones' photos of Vanderbilt's 7-5 loss to LSU on day two of the 2010 SEC Tournament Thursday night.
by Barca Blog (Photo by Jimmy Jones)
by Barca Blog
by SID
by Barca Blog (Photo by Jimmy Jones)
LSU leads all-time 50-33 in a series that dates back to 1954. This will be the fourth time over the last three years the teams have met in the tournament, with the Tigers winning two of the previous three. 
