Breaking down Arizona Baseball’s matchup with Vanderbilt

OMAHA, NE – The College World Series is officially here as Arizona Baseball (45-16, 21-9) prepares for their showdown with Vanderbilt (45-15, 19-10). 

Arizona Baseball is back in Omaha for the first time since 2016 and coming in, the field should be a loaded one as the Wildcats look to win their programs’ fifth, College World Series title.

However, the challenge won’t be an easy one as Arizona finds itself on the same side of the bracket as NC State, Stanford, and the 2019 defending National Champions, Vanderbilt.

Arizona Wildcats

Now, as fate would have it, Arizona will first square off with the Commodores, who once again may be the favorites to win it all, so we should be in for a doozy of a first game.

With Arizona Baseball facing a tough matchup, we break down the Vanderbilt Commodore’s just ahead of Saturday’s action.

Coming in, Vanderbilt is one of the best teams in baseball for a reason as they do it on both offensively and while on the mound. They have arguably the two best young arms in College Baseball, and they also are an above-average hitting team that should pose a tough challenge for Arizona.

Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Tim Corbin 
Head Coaching Record: 798–374–1
Current Record: 45-15 (19-10)

Pitching:

Overall, this is most likely the best pitching staff in Omaha. Collectively, they have a combined 3.37 ERA and are holding opponents to a .185 batting average with 699 strikeouts.

• Largely led by their ace Kumar Rocker, the massive junior right-hander has been very good this year, compiling an impressive 13-3 record with a 2.46 ERA, 155 strikeouts, all while holding batters a .157 average. Look for him to get the start in game one.
• Luckily for Vanderbilt, they don’t have one ace, they have two. Behind Rocker is righty Jack Leiter who has been just as good, if not better. The sophomore hurler from Summit, NJ has been dealing this season, compiling a 10-3 record with a 2.16 ERA with 156 strikeouts, all while holding opposing batters to a .127 average.
• Outside of those two, Vanderbilt has a deep bullpen with lots of solid arms. However, Nick Maldonado and Luke Murphy seem to be their more heavily used arms in the pen. Together, they have combined for 16 saves and 98 strikeouts in 75-and-a-third innings pitched, while both sporting an ERA under 3.00.

Hitting:

Overall, this is a good offensive group that comes to Tucson. The Commodores have some power at the plate, combining for a .297 batting average with 86 home runs. They are a very opportunistic group as well, batting 409 RBI’s and scoring 428 runs.

• As a team, the Commodores are averaging 7.13 runs per game with a combined .388 on-base percentage and a .503 slugging percentage.
• Dominic Keegan is arguably the best batter in this line-up. The junior utility man is batting an impressive .361 from the dish with 16 home runs with 55 RBI’s, a .673 slugging percentage, and a .441 on-base percentage.
• Outside of Keegan, Vanderbilt also has two other players with double-digit home runs in Isaiah Thomas (13) and Carter Young (15).

How to Watch or Follow Game One vs Vanderbilt: 

• Date: Saturday, June 19, 2021
• Time: 4:00 PM
• Location: TD Ameritrade Park (Omaha, NE)
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: 1290 AM or TuneIn Radio
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast