Vanderbilt’s defense of title looks familiar
Commodores will try to repel scrappy Virginia for second year
OMAHA, Neb. — Many preseason prognosticators believed Vanderbilt and Virginia had what it took to again reach the College World Series finals.
That the defending champion Commodores (50-19) returned is testament to their dominant pitching and the effort of a veteran group that got every opponent’s best shot.
That the Cavaliers (53-17) ended up in the finals is a surprise, given all the obstacles they overcame.
The best-of-three series starts Monday night at TD Ameritrade Park
“We’re proud of what we’ve done and certainly glad to be here,” Vandy coach Tim Corbin said Sunday.
Cavaliers overcome
Virginia knew its young players would have to develop rapidly for it to make a title run. Injuries to veterans complicated matters. Outfielder Joe McCarthy had back surgery in January, utility player John LaPrise’s season ended after four games because of a hip injury, and ace Nathan Kirby strained a back muscle in April.
The Cavaliers were 1818 in March and April, finished 15-15 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, and did not qualify for the 10-team league tournament until the last week of the regular season. They were given a No. 3 regional seed and had to go to the West Coast for the start of the NCAA tournament.
Senior Kenny Towns said his sense of accomplishment is greater than in 2014.
“What we’ve been through this year, the ups and downs of the season, it’s a little bit more satisfying,” he said, “just because where we’ve come from and how we’ve been able to have the success late in the postseason.”
The Commodores swept three games in bracket play and are 8-0 in the national tournament. They dropped six of eight in April but have not lost back-to-back games since losing a series to Florida on May 9.
Bryan Reynolds and Rhett Wiseman have led Vanderbilt offensively through the postseason, and a pitching staff featuring first-round draft picks Carson Fulmer and Walker Buehler has a 1.33 ERA in the CWS and an opponent batting average of .163.
Fulmer (13-2, 1.95 ERA), who will start against Virginia’s Connor Jones (7-2, 3.05 ERA) in Game 1, said the experience last year has helped.
“I think the biggest thing for anyone who comes here is to be comfortable,” Fulmer said. “With the people in the stands and the pressure that’s on the line, if you want to call it that, some people aren’t used to it. Just staying comfortable and knowing that you’re working with eight other guys, it’s big.”
Some things to know:
• Cavaliers coach Brian O’Connor said he hadn’t made pitching plans beyond Monday. The Commodores will start Philip Pfeifer on Tuesday and, if necessary, probably Buehler on Wednesday.
• Dansby Swanson, the first pick in the draft, is 1-for-13 with five strikeouts and an error at shortstop in Vanderbilt’s three CWS games. Last year, he was the CWS Most Outstanding Player after batting .323 with three doubles and four stolen bases.
Swanson tails off
Swanson, batting a teamleading .337 for the season, is at .242 with 11 strikeouts in eight NCAA tournament games. He said he hasn’t been distracted since the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him.
“It’s one of those things you can’t control, what’s going on outside of you anyway,” he said. “You just play your best and your hardest, and hopefully, the results will speak for themselves.”
There have been 14 home runs through 13 games at the CWS. Three were hit in 16 games last year. Vanderbilt has homered three times and Virginia twice.
Virginia will try to win the first national title in baseball for the Atlantic Coast Conference since Wake Forest in 1955.