It might be an understatement to say the Vanderbilt baseball team has a flair for the dramatic.
The Commodores swept their home weekend series against in-state rival Tennessee with all three wins coming in walk-off fashion. Vandy, in fact, has won seven of its last 10 home Southeastern Conference games on walk-offs.
Logan Johnstone's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Vandy a 3-2 win Friday. Mack Whitcomb's squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 16th
gave the Commodores a 6-5 win Saturday. Pinch-hitter Tommy Goodin's grand slam in the bottom of the ninth gave them a 16-15 win Sunday.
“I’ll remember that for sure,” said Goodin, a left-handed batter who was called on to face right-handed reliever Brayden Krenzel. “It's something in my dreams. I can't imagine doing that, and then really going up there and getting the opportunity to go and do that for my team is just awesome.”
The Commodores (17-12, 5-4 SEC) swept Tennessee (18-10, 3-6 SEC) for the first time since 2013 and have won six straight against the Volunteers.
Vandy is tied for sixth in the conference heading into a nonconference game against Belmont on Tuesday and a series at Texas A&M starting Friday. Vandy coach Tim Corbin said his team played the equivalent of four games against Tennessee, considering the 16-inning game Saturday, and that his players must get their bodies and minds right quickly.
“Three completely different games, too,” Corbin said. “Emotionally, that's my biggest concern moving forward. The kids are young. emotionally, that's my biggest concern moving forward. There's a ripple effect that takes place. Those are tough games.”
UCLA, Texas and Georgia Tech remained the consensus top three teams Monday by D1Baseball.com, Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The Bruins (25-2) extended their winning streak to 19 games with their sweep of Iowa on the road. They visit UC Irvine on Tuesday and open a three-game home series against nationally ranked crosstown rival Southern California on Friday.
Texas (23-4) is coming off its first sweep of Oklahoma since 2014. The Longhorns' 14-0 win on Thursday was their most lopsided against the Sooners in 40 years. They followed that with a pair of 10-inning walk-off wins, 4-3 on Friday and 5-4 on Saturday.
Georgia Tech (22-5) swept N.C. State at home, hosts a ranked Auburn on Tuesday and travels to California for three games this weekend.
Florida State standout first baseman Myles Bailey underwent season-ending surgery Sunday after injuring his right leg sliding into second base on Saturday against Duke. Bailey took off on a wild pickoff attempt and appeared to dislocate his ankle when he slid.
“Our medical team was fully engaged from the moment he was injured,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. "He will recover from this injury and return to his dynamic form.”
Bailey is second on the team with a .363 batting average, and his 13 homers and 33 RBIs lead the Seminoles.
UCF, picked 10th in the Big 12 coaches' preseason poll, are in first place after sweeping Arizona at home. The Knights (18-8, 8-1) have won four straight and were ranked No. 23 by D1Baseball.com.
The Knights are off to their best start in conference play since 2014 and have the national leader in ERA in Matt Sauser, who has allowed two earned runs over 28 innings (0.64). They play a key series this weekend at second-place West Virginia.
Boston College (20-9, 8-4 ACC) took two of three from a then-top 10 Virginia and debuted in the rankings as high as No. 21. The Eagles will get another challenge this week when they visit Nos. 6 and 7 North Carolina. ... Texas shortstop Adrian Rodriguez is week to week with a hand injury. He was injured Saturday against Oklahoma. ... Nate Isler of Dartmouth became the first pitcher of the season to go beyond nine innings. He pitched 9 2/3 in a 3-2 victory over Columbia on Sunday — and he got no decision. Mac Burke retired the only batter he faced in the top of the 10th, and Henry Murray's RBI one-out single in the bottom half won it.
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