Vanderbilt Baseball Sweeps South Carolina, But It May Not Matter. Column
NASHVILLE—The normality was comforting as Vanderbilt shortstop Ryker Waite trotted down the third base line at Hawkins Field and slowed up as he came within steps of home plate, lifted his right leg and completed a classic Vanderbilt-ism as he stomped on the plate.
Waite had just given Vanderbilt the lead that had eluded it up to that point in the bottom of the fourth inning of its Saturday series finale against South Carolina. It’s an action that nearly countless Vanderbilt players have executed in this place over the years. None of their stomps felt quite like this one–or all of the ones that occurred this weekend–did, though.
As Mike Mancini’s silhouette faded from the scoreboard at the conclusion of the celebratory video of him that played while Waite ran into the dugout, the joy that defined the moment faded into the context of this unconventional weekend in this place. Waite said this series sweep was “huge” for Vanderbilt, but a series of comments by Vanderbilt senior Chris Maldonado, Waite himself and Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin backhandedly put that comment down.
This series only matters on one condition; Vanderbilt finds its way to the SEC Championship game. So long as Vanderbilt doesn’t find its way into the SEC Championship Game, the weekend series in which it just played will be rendered nearly entirely meaningless. It won’t consider it that–that would go against everything Corbin believes–but it very well could be. It has to make a run in Hoover. This can complement it and give it momentum as it gets on the bus, but it can’t change that.
This group still has a weight on it. It still has a responsibility that it has to fulfill in Hoover.
“We want to do this for Corbs, do this for the program,” Waite said, almost as if to admit that this group has plenty left to do before finalizing an NCAA Tournament berth. “He puts so much into this. He’s the best coach of all time and we just love playing for him. We don’t want to be done.”
Even if Vanderbilt’s players didn’t feel it, there was a fog hanging over everything they did over the weekend. It wasn’t a literal fog, but it was a fog nonetheless. What it just did by sweeping South Carolina behind one of its most complete weekends to date could be a complete non-needle mover.
But, the best Vanderbilt could do to find a motivator was to center itself on a politically-correct approach.
“Just taking it one game at a time, just trying to get every win we can,” Vanderbilt left fielder Braden Holcomb said. “I think that’s a good way to put it.”
Credit to Vanderbilt. It did that well. The pressure of a 19-year regional streak never got to it–although Waite admitted it was there, and Corbin said he hated that Waite is burdened by that. Its offense seemingly always came through. And it had one of its better pitching weekends in recent memory. It took care of business, and it deserves credit for doing so.
In all likelihood the weekend didn’t do all that much in regard to Vanderbilt’s NCAA Tournament chances, though. It didn’t do all that much in terms of its SEC Tournament seeding, either. The real important thing was what it avoided: a sweep that would’ve demoralized it entirely heading into Hoover and would’ve taken away any at-large hope. There wasn’t much to be gained out of this thing, other than its win total getting to a number that could put it in striking distance if it makes a push in Hoover.
Vanderbilt has dug itself too big a hole too big to dig out of in a weekend, particularly a weekend in which it faces a group that has less of a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament than it does. Vanderbilt’s chances, though, aren’t all that high themselves. It’s got 14 SEC wins, an RPI so unfavorable that it would set a dangerous precedent if Vanderbilt gets into the NCAA Tournament and a rolodex of bad losses to negate some of its best series wins.
That’s why the national anthem that Vanderbilt brought Nashville Predators organist Krazy Kyle in to perform felt more like the beginning of a remembrance of this Vanderbilt team than a sendoff of it. It was a beautiful rendition, but it felt like funeral proceedings needed to follow it rather than a baseball game. That says more about this Vanderbilt team and the position it’s put itself in than the anthem or the talented organist.
It wasn’t because of what anyone did, but Hawkins Field was eerie over the weekend. The Whistler wasn’t in the building. Some of the juice was pulled from it.
That’s almost never been the case for this program under Corbin. That’s why the figurative cloud of fog never subsided and the otherwise ordinary held a weight of finality. That’s why the moments of extravagance did, too.
It’s not as if an obituary is to be written about this team yet, but it’s guaranteed to play just one more game–and that game will be Tuesday in Hoover, a time when this program shouldn’t be playing. If it loses that game, none of what it did over the weekend matters.
There’s still plenty of work to be done and Vanderbilt knows it.
“They know it, this is playoff baseball for Vanderbilt,” Corbin said. “It’s like the pink elephant in the room, you know it’s there. I don’t play any games with the guys, it’s just like ‘here’s what it is.”
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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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