Live Blog: Vanderbilt Baseball vs. TCU

Opening day has finally arrived for Vanderbilt Baseball.

Year 24 of Tim Corbin’s tenure in Nashville begins not with a tune-up, but with a litmus test. The Commodores open their season at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, season in Arlington, Texas, where three formidable Big 12 opponents await. There will be no easing into 2026.

Friday’s game presents the biggest challenge on paper: a showdown with D1Baseball’s No. 10 ranked TCU. The Horned Frogs return a deep, powerful lineup headlined by highly touted draft prospect Sawyer Strosnider, along with an athletic pitching staff led by flamethrower Tommy LaPour, who gets the ball against Vanderbilt on Friday.

The Commodores projected lineup and rotation returns two key pitchers in junior Connor Fennell and sophomore Austin Nye, as well as a slew of key relief pitchers that fueled its pitching dominance last season. Joined by Georgia transfer Nate Taylor in the weekend rotation, Fennell and Nye will look to pick up where they left off last season in mowing down opposing hitters.

Offensively there’s plenty of intrigue as well. First-year hitting coach Jason Esposito —bringing both MLB experience and a Vanderbilt background — leads a lineup looking to take a jump. Brodie Johnston, Braden Holcomb and Colin Barczi return a year older and stronger, aiming to quiet questions about the Commodores’ power output. Newcomers Logan Johnstone, Mack Whitcomb and Max Jensen add versatility in the batter's box and around the diamond, and Rustan Rigdon, Mike Mancini, and Ryker Waite round out what projects to one of Corbin’s more flexible groups in years.

A fast start would go a long way towards washing out the bad taste left from last season’s early regional round exit. There’s no better opportunity than Day One against a top-10 opponent on a neutral field.

First pitch between Vanderbilt and TCU is set for 3:00 p.m. CST, streaming on FloSports.

Follow along below for live updates and inning-by-inning coverage throughout the afternoon:

Pregame

First pitch has been moved to 3:35 p.m. CST.

Starting Lineups

Vanderbilt

1. Carter Johnstone 2B

2. Colin Barczi C

3. Brodie Johnston 3B

4. Braden Holcomb CF

5. Mack Whitcomb DH

6. Rustan Rigdon LF

7. Max Jensen 1B

8. Ryker Waite SS

9. Logan Johnstone

TCU

1. Cole Cramer 2B

2. Sawyer Strosnider CF

3. Chase Brunson RF

4. Noah France LF

5. Rob Liddington Jr. 1B

6. Nolan Traeger CF

7. Brady Dallimore DH

8. Jacob Bell 3B

9. Lucas Franco SS

Starting Pitching Matchup Preview

Connor Fennell (Vanderbilt) vs. Tommy LaPour (TCU)

Friday’s pitching matchup is perhaps the best of the entire weekend in Arlington, with two borderline elite pitchers who have complete opposite approaches on the rubber.

Fennell came out of nowhere for the Commodores last season, taking over as the Sunday starter in the middle of SEC play and never looking back. The junior pitched to a 2.53 ERA across 7 starts and 53.1 innings, striking out 84 batters and walking just 11. Fennell’s success comes from a deceptive arm slot and high-ride fastball that allow him to consistently fool hitters despite barely touching 90 MPH on the radar gun. With a big breaking slider and funky changeup, Fennell’s goal will look to keep the Horned Frogs off balance throughout the afternoon.

LaPour, on the other hand, brings premium velocity and more stock release traits to the mound. Capable of touch triple digits on the radar gun, the right-hander leans on a powerful fastball that can overwhelm hitters up in the zone, pairing it with a sharp slider and changeup to keep hitter’s guessing. The right-hander is tall and athletic, and his ability to go deep into games and maintain poise on the mound make him one of the Big 12’s very best arms.