By Barca Blog - Finally, here's the video clip (below) of Jermaine Beal's soaring dunk vs. LSU on Wednesday. Love the radio call by Joe and Tim. Visit our VUcommodores' YouTube page for more videos - click here.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Heating Up in North Little Rock
By Weinman - It's gameday, and the temperature is expected to pass the mid-70's today in North Little Rock. Even the inside of Alltel Arena is warmer than usual. Auburn and Ole Miss have just tipped off, and the Commodores will be coming over to the arena in about an hour.Game time is set for about 2:30 p.m. CT. There are many ways to keep up with game if you can't be here in person, including Fox Sports South, WNSR 560-AM Radio, live stats on the vucommodores.com, and the VandyWBB twitter feed, as well.
Twitter this
By Barca Blog - So, you may have heard that our official site, VUcommodores.com, has joined the Twitter world.What is twitter you might ask? Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
I like to use it because I can sync up my cell phone up to receive live Commodore score updates. For example, I was at dinner with my lovely wife last night and while she wasn't looking, I could sneak into my pocket and check my phone to see if I received any baseball score updates from VandyBaseball on Twitter.
Also, I can keep track of what the women's basketball team is doing on the road at the SEC Tournament in North Little Rock, Ark., by joining VandyWBB on Twitter.
I can also decide which news I want to follow so I am not overwhelmed with text messages. And Twitter can be used for other things besides cellphones... You can keep up with it on the internet if you don't want texts.
Anyway, read more about it by clicking here and sign-up to follow the 'Dores. Twitter is a free online service but standard text message rates apply if you add it to your phone.
Video of the Day
By Barca Blog - With Michael Jackson's big announcement that he will perform 10 concerts in London this summer for his final curtain call, I decided that I needed to post a classic MJ song as the video of the day.
Well, all of Jacko's clips are disabled for embedding on YouTube (really, what's the point of that if you can't make it viral??!!)... So the best I could do was a video of squirrels dancing to the King of Pop's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.
Oh, and check out the Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute at Mercy Lounge tonight in the Cannery Ballroom.
Well, all of Jacko's clips are disabled for embedding on YouTube (really, what's the point of that if you can't make it viral??!!)... So the best I could do was a video of squirrels dancing to the King of Pop's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.
Oh, and check out the Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute at Mercy Lounge tonight in the Cannery Ballroom.
WBB takes on UGA in SEC Tourney today
By Barca Blog - No. 2 seed Vanderbilt will face No. 7 seed Georgia in the second round of the SEC Tournament today at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. The winner will advance to Saturday night's semifinal to face the winner of No. 3 seed LSU and No. 6 seed Mississippi State.Sophomore forward Hannah Tuomi will miss today's matchup with the Lady Bulldogs due to a stress fracture in her left ankle, as reported by Mike Organ in today's edition of the Tennessean. It will be the second straight game that Tuomi, the Commodores' leading rebounder (5.9 rpg), will be out of the lineup. She also missed last Sunday's regular season finale at Tennessee.
Fans can watch today's game on FSN South or listen locally on 560 AM. VUcommodores.com will provide an online radio stream of Charlie Mattos' call as well as live stats - click here. For yesterday's first round results, visit SECsports' Tournament Central page.
Also, for additional Commodore reading, check out David Boclair's article on junior sharpshooter Merideth Marsh in The City Paper. Marsh was selected to the All-SEC Second Team earlier in the week.
More on Ogilvy
Maurice Patton of the Tennessean has a good article on A.J. Ogilvy's resurgence. Click to Read
Thursday, March 5, 2009
We're Talkin' About Practice?
By Weinman - After scouting Georgia during its win over Kentucky in the opening round of the SEC Tournament Thursday in North Little Rock, the Commodores traveled about eight miles to nearby Mount St. Mary Academy for their final full practice before postseason play begins in earnest tomorrow.Vanderbilt and Georgia are scheduled to tip-off at about 2:30 p.m. CT tomorrow (30 minutes after the conclusion of the Noon game between Auburn and Ole Miss). The Commodores split a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs this year, so playing the rubber match on a neutral court in the SEC Tournament only seems fitting....
Casali hits 'Dores first homer At home
by SID - First baseman Curt Casali belted a solo homer in the first inning against UIC, the Commodores first round-tripper at Hawkins Field in six games this year.
He drove a 1-2 pitch into the left-center bleachers. It's his team leading third homer of the year.
He drove a 1-2 pitch into the left-center bleachers. It's his team leading third homer of the year.
Video review
By Barca Blog - Head coach Kevin Stallings and A.J. Ogilvy took a trip down memory lane a few weeks ago to try and help the sophomore center break through some early struggles in conference play."He and I sat in my office and watched tape of him from last year on different ways that he was scoring," Stallings said during Thursday's SEC teleconference. "I think he had settled in to thinking that he needed to score all inside for us. We started moving him around a little bit more, and I think he's experiencing the fruits of that right now.
"He's just been on a two-game tear. I think his health has been the biggest thing. Confidence is certainly a big thing, but maybe we're moving him around a little bit making him a little harder to find and maybe that's helping him too."
In his last eight SEC outings, Ogilvy's scoring 19.2 points per game after only averaging 10 points per game in his first six conference games. And with a career-high 33 points in Wednesday's win over No. 11 LSU, Ogilvy became the first sophomore in Vanderbilt history to eclipse the 1,000 point mark.
Click here to read the entire SEC teleconference transcript.
Thursday Baseball Starting Lineup For UIC
by SID
1. Brian Harris SS
2. Steven Liddle RF
3. Curt Casali 1B
4. Aaron Westlake C
5. Jason Esposito 3B
6. Joe Loftus DH
7. Alex Hilliard CF
8. Jonathan White LF
9. Riley Reynolds 2B
Starting Pitcher: Mike Minor (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
Weather: 66 degrees, Mostly Cloudy. Doesn't exactly feel like that with winds from the South at 23 mph gusting to 27 mph.
Watch the game online or track live stats here. For score updates on your mobile phone, sign up for Twitter and follow VandyBaseball.
1. Brian Harris SS
2. Steven Liddle RF
3. Curt Casali 1B
4. Aaron Westlake C
5. Jason Esposito 3B
6. Joe Loftus DH
7. Alex Hilliard CF
8. Jonathan White LF
9. Riley Reynolds 2B
Starting Pitcher: Mike Minor (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
Weather: 66 degrees, Mostly Cloudy. Doesn't exactly feel like that with winds from the South at 23 mph gusting to 27 mph.
Watch the game online or track live stats here. For score updates on your mobile phone, sign up for Twitter and follow VandyBaseball.
Silinski defeats Rhoads, 163-162.
By Weinman - NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Vanderbilt forward Rebecca Silinski struck out in the 10th frame to edge classmate Jence Rhoads for the highest round of the day at Millenium Bowl. Silinski's 163 was the high score of the day among Commodore players.Both Rhoads and Silinski bowled three strikes in a row during their 10th frames, leading to the above picture of both posing as turkeys. Junior Lauren Lueders had the high score of the first game, rolling a 157.
Team 2 -- consisting of student athletic trainer Brandon Auton, director of Basketball Operations Justin VanOrman, ticket office intern Corey Pelot, manager Chris Agliano and sports information director Chris Weinman -- captured the overall team title with a game-two rally of 719 pins.
Follow our official updates on your mobile phone via Twitter at VandyWBB.
Watch replay of LSU win
By Barca Blog - Want to see video of last night's win over No. 11 LSU? Then watch footage of the entire game at LSUsports.net. Beal's jam before the end of the first half is around the 1:08:00 mark. Click Here to watch
Coach Stallings on 104.5 this afternoon
By Andy Boggs - Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings will appear on 104.5 the Zone with George Plaster, Willy Daunic, and Darren McFarland at 3:25 p.m. CT this afternoon. You can listen to it live here
Show some love Sunday
By Barca Blog - Since the student body is still returning from spring break, a limited number of men's basketball seats remain for Vanderbilt's regular season finale against Arkansas Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Call 322-GOLD or order online at vucommodores.com. Lets fill Memorial and show these guys some support.
Tidbits from win over No. 11 LSU
By Barca Blog - Some notes from Vanderbilt's 75-67 victory at No. 11 LSU. For complete coverage, click here.
Aint no stoppin' Ogilvy
LSU had no answer for A.J. Ogilvy.
Ogilvy, who outweighed LSU center Chris Johnson by 40 pounds, abused the Tigers in the paint all game long. The sophomore sensation's monster night included a career high 33 points with 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
"A.J. was unbelievable," head coach Kevin Stallings told Joe Fisher in the postgame show. "We just wanted to try and get the ball to A.J and see if he could do some work and he was obviously on his game tonight.
After battling a bruised right heel and as well as an upper respiratory virus in January, A.J. has returned to form, scoring career highs in back-to-back outings. He led the 'Dores with 28 points in a win over South Carolina last Saturday.
Just check out his stat line in last two games: 24-for-32 from the field with 61 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.
Nasty... Boy
Vanderbilt went into the locker room with a 37-26 lead at the half capped off with by Jermaine Beal's thrilling one-handed dunk just before the buzzer.
"You always want momentum going into the locker room," Stallings said. "I don't know how big it was, but it sure was impressive. That was as nasty as it gets when it comes to dunks. I was impressed to say the least. I didn't even know Jermaine could dunk the ball. He did it with emphasis on that one."
Just listen to Fisher's call of the dunk and use your imagination for the time being.
You can count on me
LSU stormed back in the second half and even tied the game at one point, but never regained the lead, thanks in large part to Brad Tinsley's two three-pointers in the final five minutes.
After Tasmin Mitchell missed a layup with the Tigers down 61-60, Tinsley respond by knocking down a three-pointer -- his first successful shot of the game -- to stretch the lead to four with 4:43 left. LSU would pull within two points in the closing minute after Mitchell's free throws made it 68-66, but Tinsley once again put the dagger in the Tigers on the next possession with another bucket from long range to clinch the win.
Tinsley finished the night only 2-for-7 from the field with eight points, but his two treys ended up being the biggest shots of the game.
"Brad's a gutty kid," Stallings said. "I don't think he played his best game, but he certainly hit huge shots. I'll take him every day of the week. I love the way he plays and he's had an outstanding freshman year and has really done a great job for us."
Listen to the radio call of Tinsley's second three.
Signature, anyone?
Vanderbilt's young squad showed they can play with the best in the league in front of a hostile environment.
The Commodores (18-11, 7-8 SEC) picked up their biggest win of the season Wednesday (and first over a ranked team) against a LSU squad (25-5, 13-2) that had won 13 SEC games in a row and already clinched the SEC regular season championship. It was the 'Dores second SEC road win of the year, and the Tigers' first home loss in conference play.
Stallings said on the win: "I told our team, 'You know, we really haven't had a signature win all season long and this might be our last chance.' You go on the road and face the No. 11 team in the country and you're going to have to play one of your best games of the season to get it done. I'm really proud of the way our team has played and how we've responded since that Georgia game. Hopefully we've got a lot of basketball left."
It should be noted that after a 1-5 SEC start, the Commodores have fought back to win six of their last nine, including impressive back-to-back victories over LSU and SEC East leader South Carolina.
Aint no stoppin' Ogilvy
LSU had no answer for A.J. Ogilvy.
Ogilvy, who outweighed LSU center Chris Johnson by 40 pounds, abused the Tigers in the paint all game long. The sophomore sensation's monster night included a career high 33 points with 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
"A.J. was unbelievable," head coach Kevin Stallings told Joe Fisher in the postgame show. "We just wanted to try and get the ball to A.J and see if he could do some work and he was obviously on his game tonight.
After battling a bruised right heel and as well as an upper respiratory virus in January, A.J. has returned to form, scoring career highs in back-to-back outings. He led the 'Dores with 28 points in a win over South Carolina last Saturday.
Just check out his stat line in last two games: 24-for-32 from the field with 61 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.
Nasty... Boy
Vanderbilt went into the locker room with a 37-26 lead at the half capped off with by Jermaine Beal's thrilling one-handed dunk just before the buzzer.
"You always want momentum going into the locker room," Stallings said. "I don't know how big it was, but it sure was impressive. That was as nasty as it gets when it comes to dunks. I was impressed to say the least. I didn't even know Jermaine could dunk the ball. He did it with emphasis on that one."
Just listen to Fisher's call of the dunk and use your imagination for the time being.
You can count on me
LSU stormed back in the second half and even tied the game at one point, but never regained the lead, thanks in large part to Brad Tinsley's two three-pointers in the final five minutes.
After Tasmin Mitchell missed a layup with the Tigers down 61-60, Tinsley respond by knocking down a three-pointer -- his first successful shot of the game -- to stretch the lead to four with 4:43 left. LSU would pull within two points in the closing minute after Mitchell's free throws made it 68-66, but Tinsley once again put the dagger in the Tigers on the next possession with another bucket from long range to clinch the win.
Tinsley finished the night only 2-for-7 from the field with eight points, but his two treys ended up being the biggest shots of the game.
"Brad's a gutty kid," Stallings said. "I don't think he played his best game, but he certainly hit huge shots. I'll take him every day of the week. I love the way he plays and he's had an outstanding freshman year and has really done a great job for us."
Listen to the radio call of Tinsley's second three.
Signature, anyone?
Vanderbilt's young squad showed they can play with the best in the league in front of a hostile environment.
The Commodores (18-11, 7-8 SEC) picked up their biggest win of the season Wednesday (and first over a ranked team) against a LSU squad (25-5, 13-2) that had won 13 SEC games in a row and already clinched the SEC regular season championship. It was the 'Dores second SEC road win of the year, and the Tigers' first home loss in conference play.
Stallings said on the win: "I told our team, 'You know, we really haven't had a signature win all season long and this might be our last chance.' You go on the road and face the No. 11 team in the country and you're going to have to play one of your best games of the season to get it done. I'm really proud of the way our team has played and how we've responded since that Georgia game. Hopefully we've got a lot of basketball left."
It should be noted that after a 1-5 SEC start, the Commodores have fought back to win six of their last nine, including impressive back-to-back victories over LSU and SEC East leader South Carolina.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Welcome to March Madness!
By Weinman - Welcome to North Little Rock, Arkansas. Specifically, the Benihana inside the Wyndham about two blocks from Alltel Arena. After Vanderbilt's charter flight landed at the Little Rock airport, the Commodores had a teppanyaki-style dinner.And that's not the chef in the middle of the picture, but Vanderbilt Strength & Conditioning Coach Tasha Weddle. With a little help from the girls, Tash was convinced to celebrate her birthday this evening.
After dinner, the team went to see a movie. The Dores have all of Thursday to relax and prepare for their first game in the SEC Tournament, which will be Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT against the winner of a Thursday tilt between Georgia and Kentucky.
Follow our official updates on Twitter at VandyWBB.
Commodores Win, 75-67
By Andy Boggs - Vanderbilt's A.J. Ogilvy scored a career high 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 75-67 win over 2009 SEC regular season champs LSU Wednesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Jermaine Beal also added 17 points for the Commodores in the win.
Ogilvy was the story of the game - he had his way with the LSU post players for most of the night - and his stat line proved it. He helped propel VU to a 40-16 advantage in the paint for the night. Freshman guard Brad Tinsley also hit two huge threes in the waning moments of the game to secure the win over the Tigers, their first road win over a ranked opponent this year and the first since defeating LSU at the PMAC two years ago.
The Commodores scorched the nets for a 51.9% shooting percentage, compared to 36.2% for LSU. The Commodores also made 40.0% of its three point attempts and limited LSU to 28.6% from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt also only committed eight turnovers on the night, after turning the ball over 24 times against South Carolina last Saturday.
VU returns home to close out the regular season against Arkansas on Sunday. The game will be televised by Raycom, and will tip off at 1 p.m.
'Dores lead 37-26 at the half over LSU
By Andy Boggs - A.J. Ogilvy scored 14 points and Jermaine Beal added 12, the last two on a rim-rattling dunk as time expired in the first half, to give the Commodores a 37-26 lead over LSU at the half. The Commodores shot 50% for the half, while limiting LSU to only 34.5% from the first half. VU also outrebounded the Tigers, 20-18, in the first half.
Vanderbilt trailed early, 2-0, but emerged with the lead and saw their advantage grow to as many as 14 with 9:01 to go in the opening stanza.
The Commodores outscored the Tigers, 24-10, in the paint, partly in part by Ogilvy's impressive first half performance.
Keep a handle on the game by following us on Twitter: VandyMBB
Tigers And 'Dores Set To Do Battle
By Andy Boggs - Sitting courtside here at the PMAC for the Commodores' game in Baton Rouge with the LSU Tigers. A big crowd is expected at the arena tonight for senior night to support the 2009 SEC Regular Season Champions. Had an interesting bus ride over today from the hotel to the PMAC...those on board were beebopping to some of the players' favorite tunes playing over the loud speakers. We're all ready to play now!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Offense continues hot play
By Ryan Schulz - Gone are Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty, David Macias, Alex Feinberg and Dominic de la Osa from the top of Vanderbilt’s lineup, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at the scoring output Vanderbilt’s lineup has produced in the last few games.
For the first time since the 2007 season, Vanderbilt has plated 10 or more runs in three straight games. In the last five games, the Commodores have scored 55 runs, 38 of which have come the last three games.
With the losses of the aforementioned players, Vanderbilt was supposed to win more games by scoring four runs than 14. So far that hasn’t been the case.
Tuesday, Vanderbilt (6-3) tallied 10 runs on nine hits en route to earning a 10-3 win over 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Lipscomb.
“Our production was pretty good (tonight),” Head Coach Tim Corbin said. “I thought it was slow going at first and we ran into some outs. I thought as the game progressed, we did a good job of punching runs across. I emphasized to the team to have team at bats and I think we’ve had a lot of good team at bats thus far this year.”
Against Lipscomb, Vanderbilt’s offense was led by the top half of the lineup, which produced eight of the team’s nine hits and drove in eight runs. Corbin is happy with how the top of the lineup is performing, but he knows he will need everyone to contribute as the season progresses.
“We’ve been pretty good so far, but we need the rest of the order to come with us a little bit.”
The lineup may not have many household names, but if the team continues to put up production like it has, it will be well on its way to making up for the production that was lost after last season.
For the first time since the 2007 season, Vanderbilt has plated 10 or more runs in three straight games. In the last five games, the Commodores have scored 55 runs, 38 of which have come the last three games.
With the losses of the aforementioned players, Vanderbilt was supposed to win more games by scoring four runs than 14. So far that hasn’t been the case.
Tuesday, Vanderbilt (6-3) tallied 10 runs on nine hits en route to earning a 10-3 win over 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Lipscomb.
“Our production was pretty good (tonight),” Head Coach Tim Corbin said. “I thought it was slow going at first and we ran into some outs. I thought as the game progressed, we did a good job of punching runs across. I emphasized to the team to have team at bats and I think we’ve had a lot of good team at bats thus far this year.”
Against Lipscomb, Vanderbilt’s offense was led by the top half of the lineup, which produced eight of the team’s nine hits and drove in eight runs. Corbin is happy with how the top of the lineup is performing, but he knows he will need everyone to contribute as the season progresses.
“We’ve been pretty good so far, but we need the rest of the order to come with us a little bit.”
The lineup may not have many household names, but if the team continues to put up production like it has, it will be well on its way to making up for the production that was lost after last season.
Stewart inks with Cowboys
By Larry Leathers - Former Commodore standout linebacker Matt Stewart will look to continue his National Football League career with Dallas. He signed a one-year free agent deal with the Cowboys on Monday.Stewart, a multi-year starter at outside linebacker for excellent Commodore defenses in the late 1990s, is an eight-year NFL veteran who has played for Atlanta, Cleveland and Arizona. He was inactive last year and has not played in the NFL since 2007 season.
Two years after graduating, Stewart was starting with the Falcons. He put together three consecutive years with at least 55 tackles for Atlanta, and played briefly in the same linebacking corps with former Commodore great Jamie Duncan. In 2005, Stewart signed a free agent deal with Cleveland, playing with the Browns for two years before agreeing to terms with the Cardinals. Stewart has missed much of the last two seasons due to injury.
The relationship between Stewart and Cowboy Head Coach Wade Phillips dates back to Atlanta when Phillips coached the Falcon defense.
Renewing FB Tickets On-Line
I just learned that over 600 of our football season ticket holders (1,000 tickets) have already renewed their 2009 tickets the easy way -- on-line. Some other schools have a higher percentage but this is a pretty good starting point for us.
Those of you that didn't renew on-line will need to wait as our ticket office staff sorts through paper applications, stuffs envelopes and trucks over to the post office. Then you have to do the same thing from your home or office back to us. This "old way" requires postage, manpower and time. You can renew on-line at your convenience, 24/7.
We'll be renewing basketball tickets on-line when the time comes -- think about it!
Those of you that didn't renew on-line will need to wait as our ticket office staff sorts through paper applications, stuffs envelopes and trucks over to the post office. Then you have to do the same thing from your home or office back to us. This "old way" requires postage, manpower and time. You can renew on-line at your convenience, 24/7.
We'll be renewing basketball tickets on-line when the time comes -- think about it!
2009 SEC WBB Postseason Awards
By Weinman - The Southeastern Conference will announce its postseason awards for women's basketball this afternoon at 2 p.m. CT. Vanderbilt is the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament, and a number of Commodores are in the running for individual accolades.
Let's hear your predictions for today's announcement. The categories are:
Coach of the Year
Player of the Year
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Freshman of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Sixth Woman of the Year
All-SEC First Team
All-SEC Second Team
All-Defensive Team
All-Freshman Team
Let's hear your predictions for today's announcement. The categories are:
Coach of the Year
Player of the Year
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Freshman of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Sixth Woman of the Year
All-SEC First Team
All-SEC Second Team
All-Defensive Team
All-Freshman Team
Haye signs with Titans
By Barca Blog - Former Commodore Jovan Haye is coming back to Nashville.The Tennessee Titans signed the defensive tackle to a four-year deal worth a reported $16 million Monday according to Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper.
"It means a lot," said Haye, who played at Vanderbilt from 2002-04. "I say to myself now, I’m back home. This is a place where I visited often. During Super Bowl week, this is where I was the whole week. It feels good. Vanderbilt is right up the street. I have a lot of friends here, and just to have an opportunity to play for a great organization, that was key in the decision."
Haye spent most of the last three seasons with Tampa Bay. Last year, he started 14 games and recorded 33 tackles. In 2007, he had a career-best six sacks and 68 tackles.
As a Commodore, Haye had 149 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and one interception in three seasons and earned second-team All-SEC honors as a sophomore.
Read More About Haye:
TitansOnline Release
Press Conference Quotes
Tennessean Release
Nashville City Paper Release
Monday, March 2, 2009
A Commodore Conversation with David Williams
The Jackson, MS Vanderbilt Chapter invites you to join us for:A Commodore Conversation with David Williams
Vanderbilt University Vice Chancellor for
University Affairs and Athletics
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
6:30pm: Reception
7:00pm: Program
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
1152 Lakeland Drive
Jackson, Mississippi
Cost - $10 per person
Cost - $10 per person
Light hors d'oeuvres and complimentary beverages will be served. Seats are limited.
David Williams wears many hats on the Vanderbilt University campus but none as public as the head of the varsity athletic program. Since taking command in September 2003, the Commodores have enjoyed unprecedented success on and off the field. The football team won the 2008 Music City Bowl championship, the basketball teams have reached the NCAA Sweet 16, the baseball team is now a national power and the bowlers won the school's first national championship. Academically, high-water marks have been set and reset as the composite grade point average for all student-athletes is over 3.0.
Questions? Contact Jackson Chapter President Andy White, Eng'97
Registration: Register Online for Jackson, MS Vanderbilt Chapter: An Evening with David Williams 2009.
A big catch
By Barca Blog - Call it a premonition, but head coach Tim Corbin decided to work redshirt freshman Aaron Westlake at catcher last December. A corner infielder, Westlake had never played the position in his baseball career.After Andrew Giobbi broke his hand Friday (causing him to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks), the Commodores were in need of an every day catcher. Curt Casali had already moved to first base prior to the season due to an arm injury.
Westlake stepped into the situation and played error-free ball on Saturday and Sunday, both victories over Vermont.
“I can’t give him enough credit," Sunday starter Nick Christiani said. "He’s only been catching for a few months and I feel very comfortable with him back there. He’s done an excellent job considering the circumstances. When your top two catches go down, a lot of teams wouldn’t have the depth to have a guy back there that did the job that he did.”
Corbin was also complimentary of Westlake's performance at catcher.
"He’s got a very good disposition for the game and that’s why he’s able to do what he does," Corbin said of Westlake, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after hitting .667 (10-for15) in five games last week. "He seems to relax behind the plate and has good skills as far catching the ball and he sits in there nice and has good flexibility. You can tell he’s new because he’s a little bit twitchy but he’s not bad at all."
Now that Westlake has changed positions for the time being, other players have offered their services behind the plate if needed.
"(Joe) Loftus and (Joey) Manning say they want to do it now, too," quipped Corbin. "When someone’s hurt, it's any way into the lineup I guess."
With Giobbi out, Loftus did start at DH Saturday and Sunday, going 3-for-6 with two RBI, a run and two walks.
"I like Joe swinging the bat," Corbin added. "He’s confident. He’ll be in the lineup and will be one of those guys that’s going to hit pretty big for us. I like his approach at the plate."
Fans can read more about how Westlake's career was almost in jeopardy last season in David Boclair's article from early February.
The Commodores (5-3) will entertain Lipscomb Tuesday (4 p.m. CT) followed by a four-game home series with Illinois-Chicago starting Thursday. For tickets, call (615) 322-GOLD or click here.
Week 2 Baseball Notebook
Posted by SID
Overall Record: 5-3; Record for the Week: 4-0
Last Week:
2/25 Vanderbilt 10, Western Kentucky 7
2/27 Vanderbilt 7, Vermont 2
2/28 Vanderbilt 14, Vermont 3
3/1 Vanderbilt 14, Vermont 1
This Week (Buy Tickets):
3/3 vs. Lipscomb - 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/5 vs. Illinois-Chicago - 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/6 vs. Illinois-Chicago - 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/7 vs. Illinois-Chicago - 2 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/8 vs. Illinois-Chicago - Noon CT at Hawkins Field
Notes:
Vanderbilt went 4-0 on the week, scoring in double digits in three of the four wins … Offensively the team batted .386 on the week with 15 doubles, 45 runs scored, 30 walks and just 12 strikeouts in 132 at-bats (.500 on base percentage) … Aaron Westlake was torrid at the plate collecting a hit 10 times in 13 at bats (.769) with three doubles, two RBI and six runs scored with a walk and a .733 on base percentage. He moved to catcher for the first time ever against Vermont on Saturday and started two games behind the plate … Steven Liddle went 8-for-13 (.615) with two doubles, a triple, six RBI and six runs scored. He walked five times and struck out once (.684 fielding percentage) … Freshman Riley Reynolds went 4-for-7 (.571) with six runs scored and had five walks and four stolen bases in five attempts in four games, three starts. He stole three bases in Sunday’s win over Vermont … Another freshman, Jason Esposito, went 6-for-15 (.400) with two doubles and three RBI.
Pitching wise, all four starters went a minimum of five innings, with three going six-plus … Caleb Cotham held Vermont hitless and scoreless for 6.2 innings before giving up a RBI single in the seventh inning of Saturday’s win. He ended up giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks … Nick Christiani (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 8 SO, 1BB) and Mike Minor (7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 4 SO, 3 BB) also had quality starts over the weekend … Seven other pitchers had at least an inning of scoreless relief with Sonny Gray (Western Kentucky) and Russell Brewer (Vermont, Game 1) picking up saves … Grayson Garvin (Vermont, Game 2), Mark Lamm (Vermont, Game 3) and Navery Moore (Vermont, Game 3) each saw their first action of the year and pitched an inning of scoreless relief … As a team the staff posted a 2.50 ERA with 33 strikeouts and nine walks in 36.0 innings.
Junior catcher Andrew Giobbi suffered a broken hand in his first at bat against Vermont Friday night and is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. Aaron Westlake will start behind the plate until he gets back … The Commodores will play five games in six days against 2008 NCAA Tournament clubs in Lipscomb and Illinois-Chicago.
Overall Record: 5-3; Record for the Week: 4-0
Last Week:
2/25 Vanderbilt 10, Western Kentucky 7
2/27 Vanderbilt 7, Vermont 2
2/28 Vanderbilt 14, Vermont 3
3/1 Vanderbilt 14, Vermont 1
This Week (Buy Tickets):
3/3 vs. Lipscomb - 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/5 vs. Illinois-Chicago - 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/6 vs. Illinois-Chicago - 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/7 vs. Illinois-Chicago - 2 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field
3/8 vs. Illinois-Chicago - Noon CT at Hawkins Field
Notes:
Vanderbilt went 4-0 on the week, scoring in double digits in three of the four wins … Offensively the team batted .386 on the week with 15 doubles, 45 runs scored, 30 walks and just 12 strikeouts in 132 at-bats (.500 on base percentage) … Aaron Westlake was torrid at the plate collecting a hit 10 times in 13 at bats (.769) with three doubles, two RBI and six runs scored with a walk and a .733 on base percentage. He moved to catcher for the first time ever against Vermont on Saturday and started two games behind the plate … Steven Liddle went 8-for-13 (.615) with two doubles, a triple, six RBI and six runs scored. He walked five times and struck out once (.684 fielding percentage) … Freshman Riley Reynolds went 4-for-7 (.571) with six runs scored and had five walks and four stolen bases in five attempts in four games, three starts. He stole three bases in Sunday’s win over Vermont … Another freshman, Jason Esposito, went 6-for-15 (.400) with two doubles and three RBI.
Pitching wise, all four starters went a minimum of five innings, with three going six-plus … Caleb Cotham held Vermont hitless and scoreless for 6.2 innings before giving up a RBI single in the seventh inning of Saturday’s win. He ended up giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks … Nick Christiani (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 8 SO, 1BB) and Mike Minor (7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 4 SO, 3 BB) also had quality starts over the weekend … Seven other pitchers had at least an inning of scoreless relief with Sonny Gray (Western Kentucky) and Russell Brewer (Vermont, Game 1) picking up saves … Grayson Garvin (Vermont, Game 2), Mark Lamm (Vermont, Game 3) and Navery Moore (Vermont, Game 3) each saw their first action of the year and pitched an inning of scoreless relief … As a team the staff posted a 2.50 ERA with 33 strikeouts and nine walks in 36.0 innings.
Junior catcher Andrew Giobbi suffered a broken hand in his first at bat against Vermont Friday night and is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. Aaron Westlake will start behind the plate until he gets back … The Commodores will play five games in six days against 2008 NCAA Tournament clubs in Lipscomb and Illinois-Chicago.
Stallings' Call-In Show Tonight
By Barca Blog - Kevin Stallings' Call-In Show airs live from 6:30-7:30 p.m. CT Monday night at the Commodore Grille. Listen locally on 104.5 the Zone or online on VUcommodores.com. For more info, Click Here.
Vanderbilt (17-11, 6-8 SEC) will finish off their SEC regular season slate with a trip to LSU Wednesday (7 p.m. CT) and a home finale with Arkansas Sunday (1 p.m. CT). Tickets are still available for the matchup with the Razorbacks. Reserve your seats by calling (615) 322-GOLD or visiting vucommodores.com.
Vanderbilt (17-11, 6-8 SEC) will finish off their SEC regular season slate with a trip to LSU Wednesday (7 p.m. CT) and a home finale with Arkansas Sunday (1 p.m. CT). Tickets are still available for the matchup with the Razorbacks. Reserve your seats by calling (615) 322-GOLD or visiting vucommodores.com.
WBB SEC Tourney Bracket
By Barca Blog - The women's basketball team came up short against the Lady Vols in last night's regular season finale, but still earned the No. 2 overall seed in the 2009 SEC Tournament, which gets underway this Thursday at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Ark.
Since Vanderbilt (21-8, 10-4 SEC) finished second in the conference (highest in Melanie Balcomb's tenure), the Commodores will open the tournament with a bye Thursday and will play the winner between No. 7 seed Georgia and No. 10 seed Kentucky on Friday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The 'Dores split their regular season meetings with Georgia and won by 10 at Kentucky in early February. The other seeds on Vanderbilt's side of the bracket: No. 3 LSU, No. 6 Mississippi State and No. 11 South Carolina.
Balcomb led the Commodores to SEC Tournament championships in 2004 and 2007.
To view the complete bracket, click here.
Since Vanderbilt (21-8, 10-4 SEC) finished second in the conference (highest in Melanie Balcomb's tenure), the Commodores will open the tournament with a bye Thursday and will play the winner between No. 7 seed Georgia and No. 10 seed Kentucky on Friday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The 'Dores split their regular season meetings with Georgia and won by 10 at Kentucky in early February. The other seeds on Vanderbilt's side of the bracket: No. 3 LSU, No. 6 Mississippi State and No. 11 South Carolina.
Balcomb led the Commodores to SEC Tournament championships in 2004 and 2007.
To view the complete bracket, click here.
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