Matthew Shorey Impresses in First Vanderbilt Baseball Outing of the Season

Vanderbilt pitcher Matthew Shorey was met with plenty of high fives and celebrations from his teammates before he could even make it to the third base line near the Commodores’ dugout after the third inning in Tuesday’s win over Louisville.

A moment before Shorey’s teammates greeted him on his way back to the dugout – of which were noticeably plenty of other Vanderbilt pitchers – Shorey just finished pitching his first inning of the season. And he looked good doing it.

Shorey came into the game with his team trailing 4-1 in the top of the third inning in a game that Vanderbilt’s postseason hopes could hang in the balance of. Shorey’s arrival on the mound for the first time this season came in a high-leverage situation where he was meant to hold the score at a three-run difference. He did not just keep Louisville scoreless, he was a catalyst to helping Vanderbilt find a spark in its 12-6 comeback victory as Shorey struck out the side on 13 pitches.

It was a short outing, but it was one that Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin was plenty pleased with.

“It was good. It was good to see him move that way, too. He threw the ball very effectively. You could kind of see it in his last couple of bullpens. I think what you’re always looking for is after a guy has a bullpen, how he feels the day after and then a couple of days after,” Corbin said. “So we were getting good returns that way, and tonight he was effective. His velocity was good, and he threw strikes, and that touch and feel is a big deal, but his breaking ball and fastball were both located. So I'm happy for him and happy for the team that they get to see him.”

Shorey’s first appearance came after dealing with an injury he had been trying to make a return from throughout the entirety of the season. At some points during the season, there were maybe even doubts he would even make an appearance at all this season.

But after Vanderbilt’s series loss to Texas two weekends ago, Corbin did provide hope that Shorey was close to returning. The exact timetable for his return was never set, but there was high hopes the Commodores would get Shorey back before for the Missouri series this weekend, which is precisely what has happened.

Corbin and the coaching staff could have gone in the direction of redshirting Shorey. But Corbin knew the type of pitcher and teammate he has with Shorey. He also knew that at some point, Vanderbilt would need Shorey to give it a boost.

That also speaks to the type of player Shorey is.

“His mind is always on the present. He's a quality student, he's a quality kid. He knows what he wants. But it was one of those where he knew he wanted to get going. He just wanted to pitch,” Corbin said.

Corbin also added that there was no set pitch count for Shorey going into his outing from the bullpen. The most important thing was just getting Shorey on the mound and seeing live game action because he knows he will need him again as Vanderbilt makes one last push toward the NCAA Tournament picture to extend the regional streak.

Shorey entered the game in an important situation. Maybe it was a bit of a risk letting Shorey’s first appearance of the season be in a situation where his team is down three runs in a must-win game, but the risk more than paid off. Since the time Shorey first got on the mound, Vanderbilt outscored Louisville 11-2 to come away with a rivalry win.

Shorey’s 13 pitches gave Vanderbilt the flare it needed Tuesday. It was not an easy position for Shorey to be in coming off an injury, but he took full advantage of the moment.

“I haven't done it myself, so I can't speak to it, but just watching other kids get out there, that's why I thought the touch and feel and the command were very impressive. But when you saw his bullpens, it was that, too. He was kind of training that way,” Corbin said. “Now, to take it to the white lines is a little bit different. But against a really, really good team. I thought it was really good for him. Outstanding.”

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