Vanderbilt’s Biggest Advantage in SEC Title Game? It’s Elite Bullpen

The Commodores' dominant win didn't just send them to the SEC championship game, it set them up with a huge advantage against whoever its opponent is.

Vanderbilt Commodores' Cody Bowker (55) pitches as Vanderbilt Commodores take on Tennessee Volunteer during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Met in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. | Jake Crandall/ Montgomery Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Saturday morning’s 10-0 win against Tennessee was about as perfect as Vanderbilt could have hoped for.

THE VANDY BOYS RUN RULE TENNESSEE ⚓ @VandyBoys advance to the SEC tournament championship for the 13th time in program history! pic.twitter.com/xKaYCA4PaM

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 24, 2025

The Commodores dominated its archrival with 10 runs on 13 hits, a pair of Tennessee errors, and every Commodore in the starting lineup had a hit.

The defense was its usual elite defensive-self (Braden Holcomb had the catch of the day in left field), but the infielders were responsible for less than half of the 21 outs Vanderbilt recorded. The two pitchers Vanderbilt used got the rest.

Cody Bowker and Conner Fennell combined for 11 strikeouts, three walks and just four total hits in the shortened game. The duo easily handled the Volunteers.

“(Bowker)’s got good stuff. He's 92, 94, a lot of riding around on his fastball with a cutter and a slider and a changeup to go with it. He works ahead in the count and locates all four pitches. He's tough to hit.”

Bowker and Fennell handling the Volunteers themselves sets up Vanderbilt’s bullpen so that every reliever is available.

Considering the Commodores’ bullpen is one of the best in the nation, that’s a huge advantage in the tournament’s championship game.

Vanderbilt has both one of the best bullpen stoppers in the country and the kind of depth that most teams can only dream about.

Also, Vanderbilt bullpen pitchers have only taken *5* losses all season. Only 5 games all year that Vandy lost with its bullpen! https://t.co/4czQDrGQiT

— Aria Gerson (@aria_gerson) May 23, 2025

In the SEC Tournament, Vanderbilt has used the number of pitchers as the total number of hits those pitchers allowed: six.

JD Thompson, Luke Guth, Levi Huesman and Sawyer Hawks held Oklahoma to two hits in Thursday’s quarterfinal game. Cody Bowker and Connor Fennell combined to hold Tennessee to only four hits. The six pitchers have also thrown a combined 28 strikeouts.

“The strikeouts have been a big deal for our pitching staff over the course of the year but certainly in this tournament, as well,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. “I think we've played pretty good defense behind our pitchers, as well… It's just getting the ball to the plate, getting the big outs, and playing good defense.”

Of those six pitchers, Thompson, Bowker and Fennell (but maybe not) are the only ones that won’t be available to pitch in Sunday’s championship game.

Thompson threw 92 pitches in Thursday’s game against Oklahoma and Bowker threw 72 pitches against Tennessee. Fennell is normally a starting pitcher (6-0 in seven starts) and only threw 32 pitches Saturday. He wouldn’t be at the top of bullpen options in the final, but he could go if needed.

Vanderbilt’s bullpen has recorded a 4.17 ERA (fifth in the nation) and a 1.17 WHIP (second in the nation). Furthermore, the bullpen has the fifth-most saves (19) and throws strikes 30 percent of the time (second highest in the nation).

Freshman Austin Nye (2-0) is the most obvious candidate to start. Nye was the Commodores’ midweek starter but got roughed up in his only start against an SEC team (last weekend vs. Kentucky, 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 SO).

But here’s a list of some of the bullpen arms available:

• Luke Guth (1.02 ERA, 17.2 IP, 19 SO, 5 BB, 2 ER, .153 b/avg.)
• Sawyer Hawks (1.50, 6 SV, 42 IP, 54 SO, 9 BB, 7 ER, .171 b/avg.)
• Brennan Seiber (2.28 ERA, 23.2 IP, 28 SO, 13 BB, 6 ER, .169 b/avg.)
• Levi Huesman (3.07 ERA, 14.2 IP, 19 SO, 2 BB, 5 ER, .241 b/avg.)

Frankly, we could stop the list here. Throw in Fennell’s potential availability and Nye as the starter, I’d feel confident with just those six pitchers if I was Corbin. But there’s also Tommy O’Rourke (4.02 ERA), England Bryan (4.15 ERA), Miller Green (4.35, 24 K, 8 BB) and Ethan McElvain (45 SO) who have been good out of the bullpen (especially McElvain, who’s been great in the last three-four weeks).

Vanderbilt’s pitching has been one of the strongest parts of its game and the Commodores are set up to take advantage of that strength in a game with the SEC Championship on the line.