Vandy Baseball to Struggle Even After Thumping MTSU

 

By Thomas Zaleski

Motlow Buzz Reporter

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- - The Vanderbilt University baseball team defeated Middle Tennessee State University, 19-1, at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn., on April 15 with 2,364 people in attendance, but Vanderbilt continues to struggle this season.

Coach Tim Corbin and the Commodores thumped MTSU after a great pitching performance by Vanderbilt starting pitcher Walker Buehler, a sophomore from Lexington, Ky. Buehler pitched 5.1 innings, giving up only three hits and one run, and striking out nine MTSU batters. It was one of the best outings Buehler has had this season and was much needed for the struggling 'Dores.

Vanderbilt started the game off on the right foot to say the least. The 'Dores opened up the game by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, and they never looked back. The team poured in another four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and slammed the door shut on the Blue Raiders after scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

            The 'Dores were led by Xavier Turner, a sophomore third baseman from Sandusky, Ohio, who extended his hitting streak to an SEC-best 23 games with an RBI double to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Turner has been Vanderbilt’s most reliable hitter on the season. Turner is batting .310 and has two home runs, along with 26 RBI’s on the year.

“I was just pleased with Walker more than anything,” said Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin. “He established himself right out of the gates, which was good for us because you’re coming out of a weekend where we lost and we needed some good mojo to start. I think he did that. The energy, the pace, the delivery was on queue."

As of April 14, Vanderbilt is 29-10 overall this season and 8-10 in the SEC, which is a huge disappointment following the 2013 season. In 2013, the Commodores ended the regular season 54-12 overall and 26-3 in the SEC. The 26 SEC wins set a record in the Southeastern Conference for conference wins in a single season.

“We really aren’t worried about the regular season records and standing, but here at Vanderbilt we have big expectations from our baseball program in the post season, especially after being ranked in the top five for the first half of the season this year,” said current MTSU student and lifelong Vanderbilt fan Tyler Short. “With that being said, I still believe with the talent on this roster Vandy should be winning more games than they have at this point in the season."

The Commodores, ranked 15th in the nation, look to finish the season strong with a series win against the Arkansas Razorbacks, a single game against the Memphis Tigers, a series against the Georgia Bulldogs, a series against the Missouri Tigers, a series against the Florida Gators, and the final series on the season against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

For more information on Vanderbilt baseball, visit www.vucommorodores.com

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