Instant Analysis: Vanderbilt Baseball 6, Oklahoma 1 in SEC Tournament Third Round
HOOVER, Ala. -- The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team put on a dominant display on Thursday night as they eliminated the Oklahoma Sooners from the SEC Tournament 6-1 in their third round contest.
The Commodores pitching staff combined for 17 strikeouts and allowed just two hits to control the contest. The staff did combine to issue nine free passes on six walks and three hit batters, but the pitchers maintained poise and limited the Sooners offense.
"I think the biggest thing for me going off that last outing I had against them was just get in the zone, don't give them free bases, set the tone early, just beating them early with the fastball," Vanderbilt starting pitcher JD Thompson said. "The curveball was working well for me. With that combo, I knew I had a pretty good chance. Filling it up, I knew some got away from me, but I'm not scared to pitch in traffic. I know how to take care of it and I know I've got a great defense behind me to help me out. Biggest thing was just getting ahead with it and being able to execute and put away guys."
Vanderbilt outfielder RJ Austin led the 'Dores at the plate with two hits for three RBIs, a steal and a run scored. Riley Nelson also notched two hits along with an RBI and a run scored as the Commodores put pressure on the Oklahoma defense. The Commodores took advantage of two walks and two hit batters and three Sooner errors to extend innings and manufacture runs.
The Commodores will now enjoy Friday off before taking on the Tennessee Volunteers on semifinal Saturday. Vanderbilt won the regular season series in Knoxville, and all three games were filled with the venom of an in-state rivalry, setting up for a dramatic weekend in Hoover.
Watch the above video as Vanderbilt On SI analysts Joe Gaither and Graham Baakko break down Vanderbilt baseball's SEC Tournament victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. The pair discusses the game, standout players and semifinal Saturday.
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Joe Gaither oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt web sites.