How To Watch: Kentucky Baseball at No. 9 Vanderbilt
It is the final week of the baseball regular season and there is still much to be decided in terms of the SEC standings and the NCAA Tournament.
Vanderbilt finds itself in a three-way tie for the final spot in the top four in the SEC standings with Georgia and Auburn. Currently, the Commodores have the tiebreaker over the Bulldogs and the Tigers, but things can change as fans watch the dust settle over the weekend.
On top of the three-way tie, if things go certain ways, Tennessee or Alabama could complicate the standings even more and create a possible four or five-way tie for the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament next week. But for the Commodores, the path to the double-bye is simple: win, and they earn a top four spot.
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But it will not be easy. Kentucky is coming off an upset sweep at home over then-No. 14 Oklahoma. The Wildcats outscored the Sooners by nine in the series, allowing just 10 runs during the weekend series. Kentucky ranks 12th in the SEC in batting average, which is ahead of Vanderbilt, which ranks second to last in the conference. The Wildcats also rank in the top half of the conference in team ERA.
What could play into the Commodores favor this weekend is the pitching matchup. Vanderbilt ranks fourth in the SEC in team ERA and second in the conference in opponent batting averaging, allowing their opponents to hit just .220 on the season.
The Commodores having the opportunity to play at home for the last time in the regular season is sure to provide a boost for them as well. Vanderbilt has been stellar at home this season, posting a 25-5 record while Kentucky is 10-10 on the road this season.
Vanderbilt has won three of the past four regular season series against Kentucky. The Commodores won three consecutive series from 2021-2023, but lost two of three to the Wildcats last season.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch Vanderbilt and Kentucky’s weekend series:
How To Watch: Kentucky at No. 9 Vanderbilt
Who: Kentucky (28-20, 13-14 SEC) at No. 9 Vanderbilt (36-16, 16-11)
When: 6 p.m., Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Hawkins Field, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: SECN+
Radio: Live Radio
Stats: Live Stats
Series: Vanderbilt leads 156-152-5
Last Meeting: Vanderbilt 12, Kentucky 4 (2024)
Last Time out, Commodores: def. Tennessee, 7-5
Last time out, Wildcats: def. Oklahoma, 7-2
Vanderbilt On SI:
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.