Vanderbilt Baseball Weekly Report: A win Streak

Week two of the college baseball season is in the books and after eight games, we're learning some things about this Vanderbilt squad.

Overall Record: 6-2, 0-0 SEC

Streak: Won 5

Last Week’s Results (5-0)

Tuesday, Feb. 18 vs. South Alabama – Won, 3-0

Wednesday, Feb. 19 vs. South Alabama – Won, 4-0

Friday, Feb. 21 vs. Illinois-Chicago – Won, 9-0

Saturday, Feb. 22 vs. Illinois-Chicago – Won, 9-3

Sunday, Feb. 23 vs. Illinois-Chicago – Won, 5-2

This Week (Times Central)

Tuesday, Feb. 25 vs. Evansville — 4:30 p.m. [SEC Network+]

Wednesday, Feb. 26 vs. Saint Louis — 4:30 p.m. [SEC Network+]

Friday, Feb. 28 vs. Hawaii – 4:30 p.m. [SEC Network+]

Saturday, Feb. 29 vs. Hawaii – 2 p.m. [SEC Network+]

Sunday, March 1 vs. Hawaii – Noon [SEC Network+]

Freshman of the Week Nominee

Jack Leiter – RHP – 6-0 – 195 – Summit, N.J.

Weekly totals: 1 G/1 GS, 1-0, 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

– His 12 strikeouts are the most for an SEC freshman pitcher in a game this season

– His 12 strikeouts are tied for the second-most in a game by an SEC pitcher this season

– Tossed five no-hit innings while fanning 12 in his collegiate debut

– Struck out 12 of his 16 batters faced and allowed just one baserunner

Player of the Week Nominee

Ty Duvall – C/DH – 5-11 – 190 – Lebanon, Ohio

Weekly totals: 5 G/4 GS, .438 AVG, .524 OBP, 16 AB, 7 H, 5 R, 4 RBI, 3 BB

– Registered three multi-hit games as part of Vanderbilt’s 5-0 week

– Scored at least one run in three of five games including two in consecutive outings

– Logged two RBIs against South Alabama (Feb. 18) and Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 22)

Pitcher of the Week Nominee

Mason Hickman – RHP – 6-6 – 230 – Hendersonville, Tenn.

Weekly totals: 1 G/1 GS, 1-0, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

– Helped Vanderbilt to its third straight shutout, its longest stretch since 2011

– Reached 200 career strikeouts with his second of the game

– Matched a career-high with 12 strikeouts

– Pushed his scoreless-inning streak to 17

– Was one of four Commodore starters with double-digit strikeouts on the week

– Limited Illinois-Chicago to 1-for-7 (.143) with runners aboard

Overall Weekly Grade: A+

Pitching Grade- A+:  Four starting pitchers with 10 or more strikeouts and a team ERA of 1.00 for the week. 

Offensive Grade- A+: Four players with batting averages over .400 and three more over .330 for the week as they score 30 runs in the five games. 

Defensive Grade- A+: Five games of error-free baseball in 135 defensive plays. 

Commodore Notes

Vanderbilt starting pitching led the way as the Commodores notched a 5-0 week including a two-game sweep of South Alabama and a three-game sweep of Illinois-Chicago … Commodore hurlers went 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA while limiting opponents to a .107 average … The staff recorded three consecutive shutouts as part of a stretch of 27.1 scoreless innings … Vanderbilt freshman right-handed pitcher Jack Leiter dazzled in his collegiate debut leading the Commodores to a 3-0 win over South Alabama … Leiter headlined the duo of freshman arms combining for the two-hit shutout of the Jaguars in the home opener … Vanderbilt completed a two-game sweep of South Alabama behind its second consecutive shutout as a pair of Commodore arms stifled the Jaguars during a 4-0 win … In the two-game series, four Commodore hurlers – all underclassmen – limited South Alabama to a .085 average … Fourth-ranked Vanderbilt put forth its best offensive outing of the early season and rode a masterful performance from right-hander Mason Hickman to a 9-0 victory in the series opener against Illinois-Chicago on Friday night … Vanderbilt pitching has tossed three consecutive shutouts for the first time since March 15-19, 2011 … Fourth-ranked Vanderbilt scored nine times in the opening two frames and rode a dominant start from right-hander Kumar Rocker to a series-clinching 9-3 victory Saturday afternoon … The Commodores received 12 strikeouts from a starting pitcher for the third time this week … Vanderbilt continues its 11-game homestand on Tuesday with a 4:30 p.m. visit from Evansville … Saint Louis heads to town for a 4:30 p.m. contest Wednesday … Vanderbilt faces Hawaii in a three-game set beginning Friday at 4:30 p.m.

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