Preview: Pitching At The Forefront Of Vanderbilt’s 2022 Season

/in , /by
Nick Maldonado - Vandy

Nick Maldonado. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

The Vanderbilt baseball team is set to begin their 2022 season on Friday, Feb. 18, when they face Oklahoma State in a three-game series at Hawkins Field.

Vandy is heading into the season ranked No. 3 in DI Baseball’s top 25 and will once again be led by coach Tim Corbin, who in his tenure has built Vanderbilt’s program into one of the best baseball programs in the nation.

The Commodores have four players in DI Baseball’s 2022 Top 100 MLB Draft Prospects: Carter Young (No. 25), Spencer Jones (No. 60), Dominic Keegan (No. 66) and Nick Maldonado (No. 74).

After last year’s huge pitching performances from Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, Maldonado will continue the pitching excellence as he has been named the Opening Day starter.

Maldonado, a junior, finished last season with a 2.31 ERA with 59 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings. He has been named to three All-American teams and also recorded nine saves out of the bullpen in 2021.

Along with Maldonado, freshman Carter Holton is prepped for a huge season with the Vandy Boys. Holton, a Georgia native, comes to town as the nation’s top-ranked left-hander overall prospect, according to Perfect Game. He was drafted by Milwaukee in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

At the plate, Young will be one of the keys for offensive success. The program’s top MLB prospect this year, Young had a batting average of .252 with 238 at-bats in 61 games played last season. He had 60 hits, 16 homeruns and 52 RBI’s along with a slugging percentage of .559.

The big batters returning to Vanderbilt this season will be senior Dominic Keegan and sophomore Enrique Bradfield Jr.

Keegan led the team in batting average (.345), RBI’s (57), and slugging (638). He finished second in homeruns with 15 and hits with 80.

Bradfield came up big time for the Commodores many times as a freshman. Last season, he earned a .336 batting average, led the team with 82 hits, had 38 RBI’s and led the team in runs with 60. These two guys will be extremely important for Vanderbilt’s success during SEC play, when the Commodores face some of the nation’s best pitching staffs.

Vanderbilt play their first nine games at home before heading to Hawaii for a six-game series. SEC play opens March 18 when the Commodores take on Missouri. The team will also face local rivals Belmont and Lipscomb in the Nashville College Baseball Series hosted at First Horizon Park.

The Commodores will also host major series against Tennessee, Florida and LSU. For more information about Vandy’s schedule and for tickets, head to the Vanderbilt Athletics website.

Steven Boero
Latest posts by Steven Boero (see all)