Coming to you live from the NorthRiver Yacht Club, where the Commodores are in a dog fight for the SEC Championship. Most of the Commodores are through nine holes, with a race to the finish ahead of them.
Assistant coach Nicki Cutler and I sat on the number six tee box and watched all of our golfers play through. Cutler normally camps out at the par 3's to give her golfers some encouragement and in some cases, some much needed levity to their round. It's very interesting to watch.
Also had some very sporadic sightings of Coach Allen, who is darting from hole to hole on foot. Allen probably walks a couple of miles on these days, and in this case, over some very hilly terrain.
Should be an interesting finish to the day. We'll keep you posted as best we can for the end of the round. You can follow live scoring here.
Attached is a picture I took from atop the number six tee box. It's a beautiful hole.
Vanderbilt's series finale with Auburn will be televised on ESPNU Sunday, marking the first time Commodore baseball has been on the station.
Of course if you're in town, just come by Hawkins Field and purchase a walk-up ticket to show your support for the team in front of a national audience.
The Tigers evened the series with a 12-2 rout of the 'Dores on Saturday. VU sits at 7-7 in the SEC, but needs a win today considering they've dropped three of their first conference series.
First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with junior righty Taylor Hill (3-3, 3.51) on the mound for Vanderbilt. Joe Fisher's radio call will be available on 560 AM and VUcommodores.com.
Make sure you follow Vanderbilt's women's golf team as they compete for the 2010 SEC Championship on Sunday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Commodores are tied for the lead with host Alabama at three-under par (565) heading into the final round. Sophomore Marina Alex is also is tied atop the leaderboard (136) after firing a six-under, 65, on Saturday.
Vanderbilt will tee off around 10 a.m. CT. You can follow live scoring by clicking here.
The Commodores have won the SEC Championship only one other time in school history. That happened in 2004 when the 'Dores took home the top prize behind May Wood, who also tied for the individual title.
Check out Jimmy Jones' pictures of Vanderbilt's 11-6 win over Auburn Friday night at Hawkins Field. View Photo Gallery
The Commodore offense gave starting pitcher Sonny Gray an early cushion by scoring eight runs in the first three innings. VU ended up with more runs (11) than it had in its three-game series against South Carolina (10) last weekend.
Freshman Connor Harrell led the hitting attack with 5 RBI including a grand slam in bottom of the second.
Gray (5-4) went on to pick up the victory, his second in SEC play. That number should be higher considering the sophomore ace has received only five runs of support in his three conference losses.
The Commodores and Tigers will return to the diamond on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. Walk-up tickets are still available.
For a recap of Friday's game with statistics, go here.
After dropping their last two conference series, No. 18 Vanderbilt (27-8, 6-6 SEC) will look to rebound against No. 23 Auburn (23-11, 7-5) this weekend at Hawkins Field. The 'Dores and Tigers will open their set on Friday at 6 p.m. CT and will continue on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are still available, so reserve your seats through the Vanderbilt ticket office at (615) 322-GOLD or online at vucommodores.com.
Joe Fisher will provide the radio call on 560 AM for each contest. VUcommodores.com will offer free live video for Friday's and Saturday's games, while Sunday's action will be televised on ESPNU. For Twitter updates, follow @VandyBaseball.
Let's get ready for the matchup by looking at stories from around the web:
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Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com lists the matchup as one of 10 intriguing series to watch this weekend.
Jeff Lockridge of The Tennesseanblogs about the battle between Auburn's big sticks and Vanderbilt's powerful pitching.
David Rutz of VUcommodores.com catches up with freshman outfielder Regan Flaherty in his weekly podcast.
Erin Prah of InsideVandy.com checks in with pitcher Corey Williams and his road to recovery after suffering a knee injury at Florida.
Andrew Gribble of Opelika-Auburn News says the Tigers still rely on small ball even with a high-powered offense.
Friday at 6 p.m. CT
RHP Sonny Gray (4-4, 2.44) vs. LHP Cory Nelson (4-2, 4.61)
Saturday at 2 p.m. CT
RHP Jack Armstrong (5-0, 3.43) vs. TBA
Sunday at 1 p.m. CT
RHP Taylor Hill (3-3, 3.51) vs. LHP Grant Dayton (4-1, 5.18)
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Quotable No. 1: ""We are having a hard time hitting right now but like free throw shooting or any other skill, it comes back to you. These kids are preparing and working at it hard, sometimes the cycle goes down before it comes back up." -- VU coach Tim Corbin on his team's offensive struggles
Quotable No. 2: "It is very unusual in college baseball this late in the season to have a team ERA that’s under 3.00. Obviously, when you start thinking about the strength of their club, they can really pitch and that’s why they’ve been successful, that’s what they’ve built their program around.” -- AU coach John Pawlowski on the Dores' pitching staff
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Around the SEC - SECSports.com
Alabama (22-12, 5-7) at LSU (27-6, 8-4)
Georgia (11-22, 3-9) at Arkansas (28-6, 9-3)
Florida (23-9, 8-4) at Kentucky (21-12, 4-8)
Ole Miss (23-11, 7-5) at South Carolina (26-7, 9-3)
Tennessee (17-17, 3-9) at Miss. State (17-16, 3-9)
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Video of the Day: Enough with Jumpin' Jeff Farmer and Motley Cruz... Richie Rouge wants to make a name for himself on the IPW circuit:
Four members of the Vanderbilt basketball team, Festus Ezeli, Aaron Noll, Jeffery Taylor, and Steve Tchiengang, visited Apollo Middle School in Antioch on Thursday to participate in their TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) Celebration, a get together to raise the students' confidence and morale as they take the state exam next week.
Steve spoke to the 400+ students in attendance about studying hard in school, giving their all on the test next week, and never giving up on their dreams. He told me he was nervous at first, but he settled into the speech a couple of seconds into it. I think he did a great job, and I think the kids enjoyed it.
Jeffery, Festus, and Aaron participated in some dunks and some other basketball stuff in the visit. Jeffery even dunked over a teacher, Matt Earls, on his last attempt.
Special thanks to Apollo Middle School, and especially to Matt, who helped organize the visit.
On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon at the John Rich Practice Facility, a pair of Vanderbilt quarterbacks worked out in the name of science. Jordan Rodgers and Jared Funk each threw a handful of deep passes in front of a number of strategically placed video cameras and the watchful eye of students and professors.
Professors Charlie Brau (above, middle with Rodgers and Coach Johnson) and Kalman Varga are both big football fans, and began discussing the physics of a spiral pass. Their theory is that a long spiral thrown by a right-handed QB is slightly angled to the right (when viewed from above), causing the football to both tip downward and fade slightly to the right. Using video cameras, the students will analyze throws by the quarterbacks to see if the hunch is correct.
A group of local high school students from the Vanderbilt School of Science and Math helped perform the experiments, with students from Brau and Vargas' classes will evaluate the data over the next week. Rudy Kalis from WSMV Channel 4 had a nice piece on the project yesterday, and the Vanderbilt News Service will produce a package including results in the next few weeks.
The 2010 debut of the Tim Corbin call-in show has been pushed back one week due to the possibility of the Nashville Predators playing in Game 6 of the NHL Playoffs First Round.
The first broadcast is now slated for May 3 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. CT at the Commodore Grille at the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt.
The previously scheduled premier on April 26 has been moved to May 17, but will start at 6 p.m. instead of 6:30.
Fans can listen to the program live on 104.5 the Zone and VUcommodores.com.
Updated Call-in Show Schedule (CT):
Monday, May 3: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Monday, May 10: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Monday May 17: 6-7 p.m.
Andy Boggs caught up with women's golf head coach Greg Allen, freshman Anna Leigh Keith and senior Brooke Goodwin as the Commodores prepare for the 2010 SEC Championship this weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Nashville mayor Karl Deal has spent a lot of time on Vanderbilt’s campus. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Vanderbilt and it’s where he met his wife, Anne Davis. On Wednesday, he was on campus again, and this time it was to bring recognition to the Music City Tennis Invitational — an event that has raised more than $1 million for the Monroe Carell Jr. Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Speaking at Vanderbilt’s Currey Tennis Center, Dean delivered a proclamation that the weekend of April 24 and 24 is Music City Tennis Invitational weekend in Nashville.
The tournament began in 1973 and is the longest-running music-related tennis tournament in the country. The annual tournament is open to everyone, beginners to pros, and also provides doubles team tennis for players of all levels. Among the original founders of the tournament was none other than Vanderbilt Hall of Famer Bill Wade.
The beneficiary of the tournament is the Center for Child Development at Vanderbilt’s Children’s Hospital. The tournament has raised more than $1 million for the center, which provides screening, evaluation and referral services for children who are developmentally delayed; who are experiencing a wide range of problems such as learning difficulties, autism, mental retardation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, and delays in sitting, talking, waling and more.
For more information about the tournament, or to register, you can visit the tournament’s Web site by clicking here.
Vanderbilt rising senior forward Joe Duffy will be hosting a fundraiser this weekend for Nothing But Nets, a charity that buys mosquito nets for the people of Africa, where Malaria is one of the continent's number one killers.
Duffy and his Commodore teammates will divide the entrants by grade and then conduct a series of 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, with the individuals/teams that raise the most money getting to choose who their "celebrity" coach will be.
The entry fee is $20 per child, with all of the donations going directly towards Nothing But Nets. One mosquito net costs $10, and according to Duffy, one net saves one life. The tournament will be held in the Memorial Gym practice gym beginning at 1 p.m. For those registering on site, arrive a little earlier to register.
Those participating will receive a free Nothing But Nets t-shirt, and Gatorades and snacks will also be available to the players.
Nothing But Nets is a charity that was started by former Sports Illustrated writer and current ESPN.com columnist Rick Reilly. According to the Nothing But Nets website, Reilly says:
Thank you for joining Nothing But Nets, the global campaign to save lives by preventing malaria. When I learned that a million kids die each year of malaria, I wrote a column asking people to give $10 for malaria bed nets. I started to get letters. And checks. Already, more than 70,000 people have raised over $20 million – enough to buy 2,000,000 nets.
Here's Duffy's website where you can register or, if you can't make the tournament, donate a few dollars to a worthy cause. Click here to visit. Also, click on the video below to see Duffy address the media about his fund raiser Saturday.
On Monday, Vanderbilt student-athletes participated in a field day at the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. Members of Vanderbilt's senior administrative athletics staff were in charge of the different stations of activities.
The student-athletes were divided into teams and competed against each other in events like the tug of war, dizzy-bat races, chicken toss and sack races. Check out the photo gallery and video below of the day's events.
Chris Weinman interviewed Vanderbilt men's golf head coach Tom Shaw prior to the Commodores' trip to the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championships this weekend at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club.
Watch the video below, and click here for a complete tournament preview.
Wednesday, April 14th, has been designated by our own student-athletes as a day to promote positive body image awareness. They are encouraging all athletes, coaches, and staff to wear yellow to show your support for this cause.
The main purpose of this project is to promote a positive athletic body image within our department. 58% of females and 38% of males in Division I sports are at risk for disordered eating. A group of our own student-athletes found the following in a survey of our female student athletes: 39% are not satisfied with their current weight, 43% are obsessed with food, 29% think they should lose 10-15 pounds, 38% think they won't be successful if they aren't thin, and 53% are obsessed with exercising.
Here is a brief message from Louise Hannallah, Rachael Dillon and Jackie Wu.
Vanderbilt baseball head coach Tim Corbin and sophomore pitcher Sonny Gray met with the media on Monday to discuss the South Carolina series and the upcoming schedule. Find out what they had to say in the videos below.
The Commodores will continue their eight-game home stand on Tuesday when Middle Tennessee comes to town for a 6 p.m. tilt. VU will then host a three-game series against Auburn this weekend. Click here to purchase tickets.
This Week (Buy Tickets)
4/13 vs. Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m. CT, Hawkins Field
4/16 vs. Auburn, 6 p.m. CT, Hawkins Field
4/17 vs. Auburn, 2 p.m. CT, Hawkins Field
4/18 vs. Auburn, 1 p.m. CT, Hawkins Field
Vanderbilt went 2-3 on the week, dropping its third SEC series of the season against South Carolina … The Commodores outscored the Gamecocks 10-7 on the weekend and lost in spite of stellar starting pitching by the trio of Sonny Gray, Jack Armstrong and Taylor Hill. The trio combined to pitch 24.2 innings out of a possible 27 and allowed just six runs, five earned, on 15 hits with 15 strikeouts and eight walks. They had a cume 1.82 ERA and each had the longest outings of their career.
Jack Armstrong allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks over eight innings in the Commodores 8-2 win on Sunday. He is now 5-0 on the season with a 3.43 ERA.
Taylor Hill gave up a solo homer on the first pitch of Sunday’s game and just allowed a single in the next 7.2 innings. He was the tough luck loser, allowing one run on two hits in 7.2 innings with a walk and three strikeouts.
Sonny Gray continued his solid pitching in SEC play, allowing three runs in his first collegiate complete game on Friday. He took the loss despite striking out eight and is now 1-3 in conference action with a 1.93 ERA.
As a team the Commodores had a 2.75 ERA for the week (including midweek against Belmont) with 31 strikeouts and 10 walks in 36.0 innings … Will Clinard pitched three innings of two-hit scoreless relief with two strikeouts and a walk in the win over Belmont … Grayson Garvin struck out all three batters he faced against the Bruins and now has six strikeouts in two innings of work on the year.
Offensively the Commodores hit just .270 on the week with six doubles, a triple and 22 runs scored in five games … Brian Harris led the team with a 4-for-12 (.333) week, he walked four times and was hit once (.529 on base percentage) … Aaron Westlake was 4-for-13 (.308) with five runs scored … Mike Yastrzemski was 3-for-9 (.333) with two doubles in four games, including three starts.
The Commodores close out their eight-game homestand this week with a midweek game against Middle Tennessee and then a three game series against Auburn over the weekend. The Tigers beat LSU two out of three this weekend in Auburn and are 7-5 in league play. Sunday’s game will be televised on ESPNU, marking the first time the Commodores have been on that station ... VU will then play 12 of its final 19 regular season games away from Hawkins Field.
Starting pitcher Taylor Hill was the tough-luck loser on Sunday as Vanderbilt dropped the series finale to South Carolina, 2-0, at Hawkins Field.
Hill gave up a homer on the first pitch of the game, but didn't allow another run during his 7.2 innings of work. He only surrendered two hits on the day while striking out three and walking one.
It was the first time the Commodores have been shut out at home in sec play since 2005 vs. LSU.
Beal played for Sales Systems, one of eight teams in the four-day, twelve-game tournament. Representatives from every NBA team were in attendance for the pre-draft camp.
Let's take a look at Beal's numbers:
Thursday, April 8 - First Round
Roger Brown's 76, Sales Systems 66 (Box Score)
Beal: Started, 4 pts, 1-8 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-2 FT, reb, blk, TO, 23 min
Friday, April 9 - Consolation Bracket
Sales Systems 96, Cherry Bekaert & Holland 86 (Box Score)
Beal: 6 pts, 3-7 FG, 0-2 3FG, 6 reb, 5 ast, 3 TO, stl, 23 min
Saturday, April 10 - Fifth-Place Game
Tidewater Sealants 108, Sales Systems 74 (Box Score)
Beal: 10 pts, 3-8 FG, 1-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 4 ast, 4 reb, 3 TO, stl, 24 min
We've had perfect baseball weather at Hawkins Field this weekend for the South Carolina series. Intern Travis was on the scene Saturday afternoon and captured these Flip clips during the Commodores' 8-2 win over the Gamecocks.
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Video 1 Notes: Nice cameo by marketing intern Hedgehog Shanks at the 0:27 mark. You also get to hear superfan Bruce's cry for "Westy" (who delivered with the base hit).
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Video 2 Notes: Perfect song over the loudspeakers for Travis' location. After the video finished, Travis yelled out a passionate yet uncomfortable Fight 'Dores to get the crowd amped-up. Folks, the guy bleeds black and gold, especially since his alma mater (Iowa State) only has a club baseball team.
In the above picture, tight end Brandon Barden signs an autograph for a Commodore fan at the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage, held Saturday in Vanderbilt Stadium.
Fans were invited down to the playing surface to meet and greet the team following the 11-drive, 58-play scrimmage.
Eighteen members of the Commodores' 2010 signing class were in Vanderbilt Stadium, watching future teammates play in the Black & Gold Scrimmage.
Spotted on the sidelines were defensive backs Karl Butler (New Orleans, La.), Andre Hal (Port Allen, La.) and Andre Simmons (Lorton, Va.), linebacker Chase Garnham (Fairhope, Ala.) defensive linemen James Kittredge (Ramsey, N.J.), Jared Morse (Oxford, Ala.), Thomas Ryan (Marathon, Fla.) and Kyle Woestmann (Marietta, Ga.), tight end Fitz Lassing (Nashville, Tenn.), offensive lineman Logan Stewart (Boiling Springs, S.C., Andrew Bridges (Atlanta, Ga.), Grant Ramsay (Marietta, Ga.) and Chase White (Plano, Texas), receivers Chris Boyd (Roswell, Ga.), Jonathan Krause (Snellville, Ga.), Jordan Matthews (Madison, Ala.) and Trent Pruitt (Fitzgerald, Ga.), and kicker Carey Spear (Mayfield Village, Ohio).
Two more members of the recruiting class, safety Kenny Ladler (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and quarterback Jordan Rodgers (Chico, Calif.), are enrolled and participated in the scrimmage.
Click Here for a complete recap of the 2010 Black and Gold Scrimmage
OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
PASSING (Completions, Attempts, Yards, TDs)
Larry Smith, 1-5-4-0; Jordan Rodgers 4-6-33-0; Jared Funk 3-5-44-0; Charlie Goro 3-7-37-0; Matt Casas 1-3-9-1
RUSHING (Attempts-Yards)
Reece Lovell 10-44; Kennard Reeves 10-28; Zac Stacy 4-21; Warren Norman 7-20; Goro 6-10; Funk 2-13; Smith 2-8; Rodgers 3-2, Ryan van Rensburg 1-1
RECEIVING (Receptions-Yards-TDs)
Brandon Barden 2-42, Tray Herndon 2-20-1, Reeves 2-8, Norman 2-6, van Rensburg 1-20, Akeem Dunham 1-13, Brady Brown 1-9, John Cole 1-9
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
TACKLES
Dexter Daniels 6, Blake Sutherland 5, Jay Fullam 4, Kenny Ladler 4, Michael Garcia 3, Taylor Loftley 3, Rob Lohr 3, Eric Samuels 3, John Stokes 3, Elvio Tropeano 3, Javon Marshall 2, Reggie Ford 2, Eddie Foster 2, Jamie Graham 2, Walker May 2, Colt Nichter 2, Sean Richardson 2, Duane Vaughn 2, Walt Wepfer 2, Archibald Barnes 1, Teriall Brannon 1, Josh Jelesky 1, Theron Kadri 1, Thad McHaney 1, Al Owens 1, Micah Powell 1, Trey Wilson 1, Johnell Thomas 1
TACKLES FOR LOSS
Brannon 1-1, Marshall 1-1, Stokes 1-1, Tropeano 1-5
QUARTERBACK SACKS
May 2-13; Powell 1-7, Tropeano 1-4, Stokes 1-2
Vanderbilt head football coach Bobby Johnson and redshirt freshman safety Jay Fullam answered questions following the 2010 Black and Gold Scrimmage on Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium.
Watch the interviews below, and click here for a complete recap of the event.
Tampa Bay starter David Price shined in his season debut to lead the Rays past the New York Yankees, 9-3, Friday night at Tropicana Field.
Price (1-0) limited the defending World Series champions to three runs and seven hits while striking out seven in a career-high 7 2/3 innings.
"That was one of my better ones (in the majors)," the former Commodore said of his performance. "But there's always room for improvement."
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What they said about Price after the game:
Rays Manager Joe Maddon
"It had to be the best I've ever seen him. I haven't seen him a lot as a starter. Really sharp, came out of the chute with great fastball command, high velocity, and then he started adding in his curve, his slider and his changeup. He really pitched well, that's really encouraging. That was really fun to watch. ... He got the bullpen back in order in one day."
Yankees Catcher Jorge Posada
"He was outstanding. He threw some curveballs for a strike, some fastballs in and out. He mixed in some changeups and sliders. He has a very good arm."
Yankees First Baseman Mark Teixeira
"He really didn't make any mistakes. We hit a couple balls hard, but he pitched pretty darn well."
Young fans can meet their favorite Commodore football players – and get a few autographs – after the Black & Gold Scrimmage ends Saturday.
Fans can receive free 2010 football posters, schedule cards and roster cards at Gate 2 prior to the scrimmage, then come down to the playing surface afterward to get autographs from the team.
Vanderbilt Stadium gates open at 9:30 a.m. The scrimmage starts at 10:30 a.m. Click here to read more about the event.
by A. Boggs
