Inside Connor Fennell’s Imperfect but Important Friday

The injury bug is dangerous in any sport. It’s especially dangerous for baseball pitchers.

That bug has slithered its way through Vanderbilt’s pitching staff early in 2026, taking out Saturday starter Austin Nye, three of its four left-handed pitchers — Miller Green, Matthew Shorey and Aiden Stillman — and two additional relief options in England Bryan and Adria Casoliba. While LSU arrived in Nashville for Friday’s SEC opener without a single player on its injury report, Vanderbilt had six.

That at least provides some context for the Commodores’ last-place standing in the conference entering Friday. It’s not an excuse. Instead, it’s an opportunity for Vanderbilt’s healthy pitchers to step up and make their impact known. Freshmen Wyatt Nadeau, Connor Hamilton and Tyler Baird have already done so.

On Friday, it was Connor Fennell’s turn.

One of the more unique pitchers in the country due to his funky arm slot, low velocity, and high tempo, Fennell entered the night with a solid but unspectacular start to his junior campaign. After posting a 2.53 ERA and striking out 84 batters across 53.1 innings last season, Fennell held a 3.80 ERA through four non-conference starts.

His strengths remain the same, but so do his velocity deficiencies, and those deficiencies have left him susceptible to hard contact when he’s not consistently painting corners. Without a diving sinker or another ground-ball-inducing offering in his arsenal, that hard contact often comes in the air — and hard-hit fly balls frequently turn into home runs.

That’s not a great recipe for success.

Under those circumstances, Fennell was caught playing with fire early on Friday. LSU skipper Jay Johnson — understanding the New Hampshire native’s weaknesses — stacked his lineup with four left-handed hitters at the top. Without a diverse mix — and only one healthy lefty in Vanderbilt’s bullpen — Fennell was forced to attack the ranks of Derek Curiel and Jake Brown with his fastball and changeup. The latter made him pay, drilling a 3-0 hanging changeup over the wall in right field in the second inning to give LSU a 4-2 lead.

After allowing that blast, Fennell could’ve unraveled. He could’ve lost his composure, stopped throwing strikes, and allowed that swing to define his night. Corbin could have been forced to go to an already depleted bullpen in the third inning — something Vanderbilt desperately wanted to avoid given its pitching injuries.

That didn’t happen, though.

Fennell certainly didn’t dominate from there. He ultimately allowed seven earned runs. But he also kept Vanderbilt in the game long enough for the offense to respond. He attacked hitters, which was clearly evident in a game defined by free passes and control issues from both pitching staffs.

"He's one of those kids that does a nice job of adjusting midgame," Corbin said. "Fennell's not going to beat himself. You might hit him, but he's not going to beat himself."

Vanderbilt pitcher Connor Fennell (39) throw to a Georgia batter during the first inning of an NCAA college baseball game at Hawkins Field Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Where Fennell typically thrives is in generating swing and miss, keeping hitters off balance, and competing relentlessly and at the highest degree. He did all three at times Friday, striking out 8 LSU hitters across five innings while throwing 102 pitches. Despite the runs allowed, he battled and outdueled LSU ace Casan Evans, who exited after just 3+ innings. Instead of folding after the early damage, Fennell absorbed innings Vanderbilt badly needed.

The junior understands the hole the Commodores dug for themselves during non-conference play — and how important SEC weekends like this one are if Vanderbilt hopes to accomplish its season-long goals.

After striking out Chris Stanfield to end the fourth inning, Fennell let that urgency show, barking towards anyone that would listen on his way to the dugout. It was as emotional as Fennell's been at any point in a Vanderbilt uniform. That energy spread quickly, and the Commodores responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning.

"He's very competitive," Corbin said. "Talking him in the middle of the game is not something I do. I don't want to. Even though we're both from New Hampshire I have no interest in talking to him during the game because he's fiery and he can't stand hitters. So I just let him do his job."

With J.D. Thompson, Cody Bowker and Sawyer Hawks departing after last season, Fennell has emerged as one of the leaders on Corbin's roster. The results haven’t always been perfect, and Friday was another reminder of that. But even on nights when he doesn’t have his best stuff, Fennell continues to compete and give Vanderbilt a chance to win.

For a pitching staff stretched thin by injuries, that matters a great deal.