Vanderbilt Baseball Has the Bragging Rights Again. Column
NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin didn’t have the option himself, but he understood everyone who left Vanderbilt’s Saturday matchup with Tennessee. At some point he would’ve been crazy not to.
That game that everyone in attendance just witnessed was more than anyone signed up for. It was nearly the longest game in program history and didn’t often appear to be nearing a resolution.
By the time Vanderbilt catcher Mack Whitcomb laid down a squeeze to walk off Saturday’s game and earn Vanderbilt a win in this rivalry series for the second-consecutive season, the baseball gods’ message about the rivalry’s parity was already easily received.
At that point, everyone in the building had already gotten through a brutal test of mental fortitude.
"When you get into the 12th and 13th and 14th, the fans are punch drunk," Corbin said. "So they got a decision to make it's either 'let's just get the hell out of here and listen to the rest on TV at home or, you know, "I'm hungry as hell.'"
If anyone’s decision resulted in them sticking with this Vanderbilt program, though, they would’ve been rewarded with the opportunity to watch this Vanderbilt team celebrate around Whitcomb beyond the first base bag. Perhaps the nearly-unprecedented length of this thing and it pushing into the Elite 8 window negated the perception of this, but don’t get it twisted. This was a big one for Vanderbilt baseball.
Vanderbilt just took down its biggest rival in a series for the second-consecutive season. It just moved the needle on its NCAA Tournament rèsumè. It just had a positive flashpoint in a season of largely-negative ones.
That was a classic game, and one that Vanderbilt should remember for a long time.
Vanderbilt’s walk-off celebration was possible because of 10 scoreless innings from its generally-shaky bullpen, a classic Vanderbilt baseball ending with a bunt and a general level of resilience that allowed it to get this to the finish line.
This rivalry isn’t as chippy and tense as it used to be, but finding a way to go out and win it still matters–even if JD Thompson and Devin Futrell aren’t here to rile everyone up after a crucial Vanderbilt win. Corbin called Tennessee coach Josh Elander a “cool guy” after the game and said he doesn’t think about the rivalry’s intensity with or without former Tennessee coach Tony Vitello involved. His players appear to be following suit.
“It was good to get out there and beat those guys eventually, and it was a good one,” Vanderbilt reliever Tyler Baird–who went five scoreless on Saturday–said. “You can feel it for sure, but at the end of the day, we value all the jerseys the same. Those guys are a little different, but it's good to beat them and just prepare every day the same way and go out there and have the same mindset.”
When Whitcomb answered a similar question in regard to the magnitude of the rivalry, he pivoted to talk about facing his former teammate Henry Ford. That doesn’t mean that the meaning of the rivalry has dissolved or that these programs all of a sudden like each other. There weren’t any scuffles or anything close to one on Saturday, but there’s still been a number of high-temperature moments that defined this thing.
Vanderbilt outfielder Logan Johnstone walked this thing off yesterday, Vanderbilt’s young relievers still had to grow up quickly in the face of pressure and these two teams were still on the field together producing a nail biter of sorts. This was still Vanderbilt proving that it can win the Vanderbilt way–with good pitching and defense–too.
“It's good for us, because we haven't had a lot of one run ball games, so I think to be a part of them, to win them, really helps,” Corbin said. “To win them at the end helps the kids' confidence, moving forward. Those are really tough ballgames. I mean, there's a lot of emotion. Just games are all different. All unique in their own way.”
Sunday’s game will be different for Corbin and his Vanderbilt team–namely because of how shorthanded it will be on pitching–but it’s one that won’t prevent Vanderbilt from winning this series or getting to say that it’s the winner of this rivalry again.
That title belongs to Vanderbilt baseball, regardless of how this all went down.
“To come out here and win in front of a crowd, it's good,” Whitcomb said, “And we're just excited to use this momentum and continue to win.”
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_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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