Hill on the Hill for Super Regional Opener

By Eric Jones

No more speculation regarding who will start on the hill for the Commodores in tomorrow's Super Regional opener against Florida State. Taylor Hill (6-5, 4.15 ERA) will make his team-leading 17th start against the Seminoles tomorrow. With the lowest walks per nine innings among Commodore starters (2.21), Taylor may be just what is needed to combat a team that likes to take a lot of pitches and has walked 378 times through 62 games (6.09 walks per game).

Hill needed just seven pitches (six for strikes) to get credit for the win over Louisville in the Regional Championship game this past Monday. It was a nice comeback for the native of Old Hickory, Tennessee who received a no-decision in the Regional opener against Illinois State where he lasted just 3.1 innings in the Commodores extra-inning win.

In addition, there may be a little extra incentive for Taylor as well, who was selected in the 30th round of the MLB Amateur Draft by the Cleveland Indians two days ago. For a guy who gets a copious amount of groundballs to go with good control, it was a surprise that Hill lasted that long. So it would not be a surprise to see Taylor use that as extra incentive in what will be the Commodores biggest game of the year.

And Friday's starting pitcher is .....

by SID

Junior right-hander Taylor Hill will get the start for the Commodores in tomorrow's opening round game against Illinois State at the NCAA Louisville Regional.

Hill (5-5, 3.96) already faced the Redbirds on March 6 at Hawkins Field and limited the Redbirds to two runs on seven hits in seven and a third innings of work. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. The Tennessee native faced the minimum through four innings and did not allow a run until the seventh.

Barca Blog mentioned earlier (read more) the decision Corbin wrestled with in whether to start sophomore right-hander Sonny Gray or Hill. The coaches decided on Hill for game one and Gray will get the nod in game two.

Illinois State will start their ace junior right-hander Corey Maines (6-3, 4.45) against the Commodores. More info on the Redbirds will be posted on the blog tomorrow morning.

Corbin undecided on starting pitcher

By Barca Blog (Photo by Jimmy Jones)

Coaches make many tough decisions during the postseason.

Determining the strategy for a starting rotation might be the toughest.

Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin faces that dilemma going into the NCAA Louisville Regional this weekend. Do you go with No. 1 ace Sonny Gray in the opener against Illinois State, or do you give Taylor Hill a chance to face the Redbirds again?

"You know what my nights have been filled with right now?" responded Corbin when asked if he'll keep the starting rotation consistent in regards to the regular season.

"The thought is, 'How do you win the tournament? You could win the battle but might lose the war, so how do you approach it that way? If you keep everything consistent, you probably sleep well right now. But do you sleep during the tournament?' Not so sure.

"If you want to pitch off, and you're thinking, 'What's the best way to win this tournament as a whole?' You might pitch Sonny in game two. But I don't know. I'm just not sure."

Corbin has traditionally kept the rotation the same in the regional format. The one time he made a change, it didn't work out. In 2008, Caleb Cotham got the call over Mike Minor in the opener against Oklahoma in Tempe, Ariz., but the Commodores lost 8-5 and never recovered from the losers' bracket.

It's not that easy of a decision when you consider Hill's successful outing against Illinois State on March 6. He held the Redbirds' offense in check in the Commodores' 9-2 win, allowing only two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts in 7.1 innings. Do you give him another shot at ISU and hold Gray back for the second game?

You also can't ignore the importance of winning the first game in a regional, something the Commodores have failed to do in their last two NCAA trips. Gray has anchored the rotation all year, and was dominant in his two postseason appearances in Louisville last year. He threw eight shutout innings against Indiana in an elimination game, and pitched the final 1.2 innings in the regional championship against Louisville.

Let the debate begin.

"I'll tell you one thing: once I've made the decision, I'm going to sleep," Corbin added. "The decision will be made and we'll go forward. Right now, I'm trying to look at both sides to see what the best route is to winning this regional."

Video of the Day: How do I make a tough decision? I rely on Joey Gladstone and Jesse Katsopolis to tell me the pros and the cons. Works every time. Click to Enjoy

Corbin, Hill talk with media

By Travis Young -

Vanderbilt head baseball coach Tim Corbin and pitcher Taylor Hill met with the media on Monday to discuss the team's recent undefeated week (4-0) as well as previewing the final home regular season series against Arkansas. The Commodores (39-13, 15-10 SEC) will host the Razorbacks (38-14, 16-11 SEC) Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m.

Hill goes the distance

by Barca Blog (Photo by Jimmy Jones)

Taylor Hill tossed the first complete game of his career to help Vanderbilt even the series with a 6-2 victory over LSU Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

The 10,909 fans at Alex Box never had a chance to get into the game as the junior right-hander neutralized the Tigers' offense with a mixture of pitches down in the zone. He surrendered only seven hits while striking out eight and walking one.

Hill's gem was also significant because it gave the Commodore bullpen a much needed rest after four relievers combined to throw 6 2/3 innings in Friday's loss.

Hill (5-3) has been in top form over the last month. The Old Hickory, Tenn., native hasn't allowed more than two runs in four of his last five starts and has gone 6+ innings in each of those appearances.

Hill talked about his performance with Joe Fisher on the WNSR postgame show:

On getting his second straight win:
"It's definitely something I'm proud of. Our defense is playing unbelievably well and we're hitting the ball right now. I can't really ask for much more. They hit some balls hard and we caught them. Drew Fann did a great job behind the plate tonight, too."

On bouncing back from Friday night's loss
"Coach Corbin said it best: it was just one of those games, and we haven't had one of those games in a long time. I didn't realize it, but he said we had 13 two-out runs and that was unbelievable. We just kind of built off that. Obviously, our pitching wasn't that bad. It was just one of those nights. We ended up being on the losing side by one run, which isn't fun, but I think we'll learn from it and be fine."

On the connection with catcher Drew Fann:
"I think we're just on the same page. We had an advantage because he caught me my senior summer before college. He knows what I throw best and in what situations. Not to say that Gio doesn't, but I think me and Drew have something going and they don't want to switch it up. I think it's good. It also helps Gio out because he doesn't have to catch all three games."

On wanting to get the shutout with a six-run lead in the ninth:
"I talked to D.J. after the game and he said he could tell I was trying to throw hard to get the shutout. I knew I was because I wanted to get it. I think the six runs played a difference. If we're up by one or two, I'm probably a little more calm and just trying to hit my spots with more offspeed pitches. In the ninth, I was just try to throw fastballs and get it in there and get out."

On it being a big win:
"It was good for our team to see we can obviously hit, and then we're going to pitch and play defense, too. We just put it all together which was what we needed."

VUcommodores.com's Travis Young also caught up with Hill after the game. Click Here to watch the interview.

Video: Taylor Hill postgame interview vs. LSU

By Travis Young

Final: Vanderbilt 6, LSU 2

Leftovers from Auburn baseball series

by Barca Blog

Yes, it's been a week since the Commodores took two out of three from Auburn.

Well, I've been sitting on two items for the blog that might peak your interest... even if I'm a couple of days late.

I'm going to blame my procrastination on my family's new puppy, Jellybean (pictured above).

I received some requests to post an mp3 of Joe Fisher's radio call of Aaron Westlake's walk-off homer. You can put it on your iPod, iPad, or whatever. Click here to download.

Also, Schnab's hooked me up with this footage of Anthony Gomez's web gem and two of Taylor Hill's strikeouts. Enjoy.

College Baseball 360 honors Taylor Hill

By Travis Young

Vanderbilt pitcher Taylor Hill was one of 17 players to be named to college baseball 360's Primetime Peformer Weekly Honor Roll for his stellar outing last weekend.

Hill reeled off arguably his best outing of his collegiate career last week in the Sunday game against Auburn. The Old Hickory, Tenn., native allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in a career-high 8.2 innings of work. Hill earned the no-decision, despite keeping one of the SECs most potent offenses in check. Aaron Westlake's walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth propelled the Commodores to the series win.

Click here to view College Baseball 360's Weekly Awards.

Video: Sunday postgame with Taylor Hill

by Barca Blog

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.

Watch Hill's postgame press conference below:

Saturday starting lineup

By SID

The Commodores will look to even the series today with temps in the mid 80s with a muggy feel in the air. VU will be wearing the Black uni tops with white pants.

Junior Taylor Hill will be called upon today on the mound with the hopes of providing a quality start like he did in his first four starts of the year. Since SEC play began he has gone 3.2 innings against Alabama and 4.1 innings against Kentucky last weekend. A strong outing of six innings or more will be much needed on the road.

1. Brian Harris SS
2. Jason Esposito 3B
3. Andrew Giobbi C
4. Aaron Westlake 1B
5. Connor Harrell LF
6. Joe Loftus RF
7. Riley Reynolds 2B
8. Anthony Gomez DH
9. Mike Yastrzemski CF
P: Taylor Hill (3-1, 3.25 ERA)

Fall Baseball Update

by Eric Jones - It's hard to pass up a 75 degree day in October with Hawkins Field right across the street from the McGugin Center.

With the Black and Gold Series starting in just a week, I thought I might check out the Commodore baseball scrimmage on Thursday. It turned out to be the closest I got to a Cape Cod summer. There are a good many new faces to learn and as many nicknames to ponder. Today was all about names that you may have heard as veteran pitching highlighted the six-inning intrasquad that ended 4-2. Sophomore Jack Armstrong continued to build off of a very strong summer pitching for Wareham in the Cape Cod League (4-1, 2.57 ERA, 31K in 35 IP). Jack combined with Taylor Hill (2-1, 1.44 ERA, 35K in 31.1IP for Chatham in the Cape) for an impressive performance. In a three-inning start, Armstrong brought the heat striking out 4 including the side to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning. Armstrong was followed by Hill who retired all nine batters he faced with four punchouts to preserve the win.

Richie Goodenow started on the other side of the scorecard working three solid innings, but was victimized by some defensive miscues which allowed two unearned runs. Russell Brewer followed Richie to the mound and threw three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Brewer was another top summer performer in the Cape where he teamed with Taylor Hill at Chatham. As closer, Russell was 2-1, with a 1.90 ERA and 33K's in 23.1 innings while finishing second in the entire Cape Cod League with 10 saves. The bottom line on this particular day - the summer seems to have been good for Commodore pitching. You can check out all the Commodore who played in the CCL and their summer stats (http://www.capecodbaseball.org/) for yourself.

Another New England Nugget: Freshman Regan Flaherty started at first base and went 2-for-2 with an RBI single and a double. His lefthanded swing is similar to his brother Ryan's and the speed (or lack thereof) was also evident as he got thrown out by homeplate umpire Sonny Gray trying to score from second on a Jordan Wormsley single.

I was just happy that Sonny Gray didn't throw his valuable right arm out of his socket when he called Flaherty out at the plate. Sonny has been watching too many Kimbo Slice snippets on YouTube.

Black and Gold Series: The Black and Gold Series will start on Thursday, October 15. Tim Corbin announced yesterday that the annual fall event will be going to a five-game series: October 15, 16, 18, 19, and 20. All games are scheduled to be broadcast via live audio on vucommodores.com. Stay tuned for times.

Tim Corbin Speaks at Mt. Juliet Rotary

by Eric Jones - Head baseball coach Tim Corbin took a break from his daily morning ritual of eating at Waffle House to speak at the Mt. Juliet Breakfast Rotary on Tuesday morning at Victory Baptist Church. He's even getting comfortable in the community as he braved the backroads to his destination some 19 miles from Hawkins Field. The appearance in Mt. Juliet is one of several speaking engagements that Corbin will do in the off-season. If you haven't gotten a chance to hear him speak, put it on your bucketlist to do.

It is always easy to hear the pride in Corbin's telling and re-telling of the stories of David Price's maturation as well as Sonny Gray's emergence as a leader on and off the field for the Dores. Corbin gets high marks for not only winning on the field, but for his ability during the recruiting process to find student-athletes with high character.

Incidently, Mt. Juliet has become a mini-pipeline for the Vanderbilt Baseball program in recent years. The brothers Shao, Matt and Stephen, were among the first in the Corbin era to contribute from Mt. Juliet High School. Caleb Cotham, a 2006 MJHS alumn, emerged to lead the Dores in wins (7) last year, while limiting opponents to a .222 batting average which was also tops on the staff. His loss will be felt in the weekend rotation after he signed in August with the Yankees as their fifth overall pick. Taylor Hill, fresh off of an impressive summer in the Cape pitching for Chatham, may be poised to take over for his prep and college teammate as the next Mt. Juliet product to shine on the diamond, perhaps even as an SEC weekend starter.