26-15 versus 30-12. No. 14 versus No. 13. 12-6 versus 12-6. The Missouri Tigers have come out of nowhere and shocked the Southeastern Conference in baseball, and are tied for first in the Eastern division with Vanderbilt. There’s a lot on the line this weekend in Nashville when these two powers collide in what might decide who wins the division.
On the mound:
Friday: Reggie McClain (5-4, 2.95 ERA) vs Carson Fulmer (7-1, 1.95 ERA)
Saturday: Tanner Houck (6-2, 2.88 ERA) vs Phillip Pfeifer (2-2, 3.27 ERA)
Sunday: Peter Fairbanks (4-3, 2.48 ERA) vs Walker Buehler (3-1, 2.68 ERA)
Vanderbilt won the College World Series last season, and many expected that they would run away with the division that included perennial powers like Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For awhile it looked that they would do just that, but they are limping into this weekend’s series.
After starting the year 27-6, they have lost their last six out of nine games. and fell out of the top 10. That’s not exactly College World Series material for the preseason No. 1 ranked team. But this is baseball, even the best teams have a slump now and then.
Like Missouri, Vandy swept Georgia earlier in the year and took two of three from Tennessee. The only difference is they lost two of three at South Carolina, where Mizzou had the opposite result.
In this pivotal match up with many implications on the line, Tigers head coach Tim Jamieson shouldn’t read too much into the Commodores recent struggles, this team is still ultra talented.
That talent starts on the mound, where Vandy has one of the best in the game in Carson Fulmer. Fulmer is an All-American and has pitched in five of 10 shutouts for the Commodores, which is an NCAA high. Phillip Pfeifer and Walker Buehler are also very good pitchers, and the Tigers will have their hands full in each game.
Jun 25, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores pitcher Carson Fulmer (15) pitches against the Virginia Cavaliers during game three of the College World Series Finals at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Missouri’s pitchers are no slouches either, as all of the weekend starters have a sub-3.00 ERA.
There’s really no strategy to counteract great pitching, the Tigers just need to play their game like they have all year. They’ve won games all year with timely, opportunistic hitting.
The best way to approach these games are to try and jump out to an early lead, even if it’s 1-0. They’ve been able to muster runs through small ball and sacrificing, and if they can get that in the first or second inning, that can give McClain, Houck, and Fairbanks a lot of confidence. And if pitchers of their caliber are pitching with even more confidence, it can be very tough to get hits off them.
With all this exceptional pitching, this series will come down to who will come up with the big hit to break the game open. My bold prediction is that the legend of Shane Benes will continue to grow, and I think he’ll be the one to make that hit for the Tigers.
This is one of the best teams in the country, so what would be considered this trip to Nashville successful? Preseason Missouri Tigers baseball would probably say “keep it close in all three games” but this Missouri team who have won their last three series should say “lets at least get two”.
If Missouri were to take two from Vanderbilt, that’ll definitely bump them up in the rankings and put them in better position to host a regional. It’s a lot easier to play a postseason game in front of your own fans, and that’s something that the Tigers and coach Jamieson will have on their minds for this series.