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Vanderbilt Baseball Begins Pivotal Week: The Anchor

Your daily briefing on what’s going on with Vanderbilt Athletics.
Vanderbilt's Rustan Rigdon (19) scores after a double hit by Chris Maldonado (8) off Tennessee pitcher Landon Mack (18) during the fourth inning of a NCAA baseball game at Hawkins Field on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt's Rustan Rigdon (19) scores after a double hit by Chris Maldonado (8) off Tennessee pitcher Landon Mack (18) during the fourth inning of a NCAA baseball game at Hawkins Field on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. | MARK ZALESKI / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first full week of April baseball has arrived and it could not be much more critical for Vanderbilt.

The Commodores have another four-game week ahead of themselves and it starts tonight with a midweek game against Eastern Kentucky. With six weeks to go in the regular season, Vanderbilt has six SEC series remaining and five midweek games to go, including today.

The good news for Vanderbilt is that it will be at home all week long as it takes on No. 16 Oklahoma for a three-game series at Hawkins field. The split between home and away from home has been a tale of two different Commodore teams this season.

At home, Vanderbilt has hit the ball really well and scored at a high enough rate to win series against LSU and Tennessee despite the pitching injuries and struggles it has had this year. But on the road, it could not possibly be much worse with a 2-10 record in neutral and road games.

After sweeping Tennessee at home a couple of weeks ago, it had felt to a degree that Vanderbilt’s season had really turned around for the better. But a series loss to Texas A&M on the road last week put a stop to the momentum that Vanderbilt had been playing with.

This week is another chance to create momentum and try to find itself from a pitching standpoint again. Taking on an Eastern Kentucky team is a must-win game for the resume and for confidence before another critical weekend series, which begins on Thursday.

First pitch between Vanderbilt and Eastern Kentucky is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Football Spring Game

11 days

The Anchor: Tuesday, April 7, 2026

  • Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante released his three-round NFL mock draft with the first 100 picks. At the No. 66 pick, Infante has the Tennessee Titans selecting former Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers.
  • Talks of Vanderbilt men’s basketball head coach Mark Byington bolting for the North Carolina head coach opening were finally laid to rest Monday afternoon with the Tar Heels hiring former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
  • Class of 2028 offensive tackle Keenon Verkerk posted a photo of himself on Twitter/X visiting Vanderbilt, saying he has received an offer from the Commodores coaching staff.

Monday’s Commodores Results

There were no games played.

Tuesday’s Commodores Schedule

Vanderbilt baseball vs. Eastern Kentucky, 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

Commodores Quote of The Day

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Red Sanders

We’ll Leave You With This…

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Published
Graham Baakko
GRAHAM BAAKKO

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.

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