Vanderbilt Baseball Weekly Report – March 18, 2024
Overall Record: 18-3, 3-0 SEC
Streak: W13
Last Week’s Results (4-0)
Tuesday, March 12 vs. Indiana – W, 13-5
Friday, March 15 vs. #18 Auburn – W, 11-1 (8 inn.)
Saturday, March 16 vs. #18 Auburn – W, 13-5
Sunday, March 17 vs. #18 Auburn – W, 9-6
This Week (All times central)
Tuesday, March 19 vs. Belmont – 6 p.m. @ First Horizon Park
Friday, March 22 at South Carolina – 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 23 at South Carolina – 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 24 at South Carolina – 12:30 p.m.
Commodore Notes
Vanderbilt went 4-0 on the week to extend its win streak to 13 games. The Commodores handled Indiana on Tuesday night before sweeping ranked Auburn over the weekend. The Dores totaled 46 runs on 59 hits over the four games. Alan Espinal was named SEC Player of the Week after going 10-for-16 with a home run, two doubles, six RBI, five walks and six runs scored. RJ Austin and Jayden Davis both went 9-for-18 with Austin driving in seven runs and Davis driving in six. Jonathan Vastine was 8-for-17 with a homer, triple, two doubles, seven RBI and five runs scored.
Troy LaNeve led the Vandy offense Tuesday night with three RBI. Matthew Polk and Espinal drove in two runs each.
Friday’s SEC opener vs. No. 18 Auburn saw Vanderbilt clicking on all cylinders as the Dores run-ruled Auburn in eight innings. Vandy starting pitcher Carter Holton turned in a quality start, holding the Tigers to one run on four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk over seven innings. At the plate, Davis went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two driven in. Vastine homered and totaled a team-high three RBI.
Vandy clinched the series Saturday with a 13-5 win as head coach Tim Corbin registered his 900th win at Vanderbilt. The first three batters in the lineup for Vanderbilt reached base 15 times as Austin, Davis Diaz and Espinal went 10-for-13 with eight RBI, six runs scored, a home run, two doubles, three walks and two hit-by-pitches. On the mound, Vanderbilt got another strong performance from its starting pitcher. Bryce Cunningham moved to 3-0 on the season with five innings of work, holding Auburn to one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts.
The Dores finished off the series sweep with a 9-6 win on Sunday. The Dores trailed by as many as four runs before Davis put the Commodores in front with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. Vastine went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI. The Dores finished with 17 hits for the second consecutive game. Greysen Carter got the win, allowing one run over three innings of relief with four strikeouts. Ryan Ginther closed things out in the ninth for his third save on the season.
Up next for Vanderbilt is a matchup with Belmont at First Horizon Park on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Click here for more info. The Commodores then go on the road to Columbia, South Carolina, for a three-game series against the Gamecocks. All four games this week will air on SECN+.
Stat Rankings
Team
- Batting Average (.330) – 2nd in SEC, 11th in DI
- Doubles (54) – 2nd in SEC, 6th in DI
- Fielding Percentage (0.984) – 3rd in SEC, 9th in DI
- Hits (237) – 1st in SEC, 5th in DI
- Hits allowed per nine innings (7.54) – 16th in DI
- On-Base Percentage (.432) – 6th in SEC, 28th in DI
- Runs (189) – 4th in SEC, 16th in DI
- Stolen Bases (50) – 1st in SEC, 7th in DI
- WHIP (1.24) – 13th in DI
Individual
- Doubles
- Jonathan Vastine (9) – 2nd in SEC, 25th in DI
- Davis Diaz (8) – 4th in SEC
- Jayden Davis (7) – 8th in SEC
- Troy LaNeve (7) – 8th in SEC
- Hits
- RJ Austin (32) – 5th in SEC, 30th in DI
- Alan Espinal (30) – 8th in SEC
- RBI
- RJ Austin (26) – 8th in SEC
- Saves
- Ryan Ginther (3) – 3rd in SEC, 31st in DI
- Stolen Bases
- RJ Austin (15) – 2nd in SEC, 3rd in DI
- Calvin Hewett (13) – 3rd in SEC, 10th in DI
- Jacob Humphrey (8) – 5th in SEC
- Strikeout-to-walk Ratio
- JD Thompson (9.33) – 3rd in SEC, 16th in DI
- Strikeouts
- Carter Holton (39) – 6th in SEC, 24th in DI
- Bryce Cunningham (36) – 9th in SEC, 46th in DI
- Walks allowed per nine innings
- Devin Futrell (1.00) – 1st in SEC, 15th in DI
- JD Thompson (1.25) – 5th in SEC, 28th in DI
