Vanderbilt Baseball Wins Series Over No. 2 Arkansas, Securing Bye In SEC Tournament

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Nick Maldonado. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

After a tough few weeks, which included getting swept by Florida, Vanderbilt baseball put on an amazing performance against No. 2 Arkansas, winning two of the three-game series to finish the regular season.

The series win over the powerhouse, not only gives Vandy a No. 4 seed in the SEC Baseball Tournament but a huge morale boost as well as momentum going into the postseason.

They dropped the first game of the series 8-2, which seemed to a preview of what Arkansas was going to unleash on the already wounded Commodores. However, Vanderbilt rallied and showed life and resilience by scoring eight runs in the eighth inning, giving them a massive 10-8 victory.

It started with a flyout by Enrique Bradfield Jr., which scored a run, and then working the pitcher, forcing him to go longer into at-bats until he eventually loaded the bases and hit RJ Shreck with a pitch, forcing a run in, making it 8-4.

Another walk scored the fifth run until Jack Bulger stepped up to the plate and hit a two RBI single cutting the Razorbacks lead to 8-7. Then Troy LaNeve, who had less than 20 at-bats all season, hit a three-run home run to give Vandy the lead and the eventual win.

Troy LaNeve. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

In Game Three, LaNeve showed up once again, hitting another three-run home run in the second inning giving the Commodores a 3-2 lead.

From there it went back-and-forth, as the teams tied and Arkansas retook the lead in the fifth inning 6-4. A few blunders by Arkansas and some great base running led to Vandy taking, and holding on to, the lead. Bradfield stole both second and third, and another balk brought him home as they took a 7-6 lead. He now ranks third in SEC history with 127 career stolen bases.

Ryan Ginther earned the start and turned in four strong innings to match his career high. Ginther didn’t allow an earned run and struck out five batters. David Horn threw 2.1 scoreless innings and Nick Maldonado closed the door for his eighth save of the season.

The Commodores finish the regular season with a record of 37-17 and a conference record of 19-11. Notably, they had a record of 25-6 when playing at Hawkins Field.

Vanderbilt will be the No. 4 seed at next week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, where they will play in the fourth game on Wednesday, May 31 and face the winner of the No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed matchup.

Sounds, First Horizon Park To Host Rock N Jock Celebrity Softball On June 5th

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Photo: Courtesy of the Sounds

The Nashville Sounds and First Horizon Park are set to host the 3rd Annual Rock ‘N Jock Celebrity Softball Game benefiting Folds of Honor Tennessee.

The event will take place on Monday, June 5th at 6:30 p.m. at First Horizon Park. With tickets on sale now, this is one of the most anticipated events for the organization benefiting the families of America’s injured and fallen service members and first responders.

Celebrity players include Chris Lane, Brantley Gilbert, Missy Franklin, Jelly Roll, Brett Young, Jimmie Allen, Mitchell Tenpenny, Riley Green, RaeLynn, Charles Esten, Shawn Johnson and Andrew East.

Sarah Duncan, Folds of Honor Regional Development Officer of North Texas, will make an appearance as the guest speaker at the event. Tickets can be purchased now online.

The 2nd annual Rock ‘N Jock was a very successful and fun game for all involved. Watch a recap video of last year’s recap game.

Vanderbilt Baseball Stays Undefeated In SEC, Winning 17 Of Their Last 18 Games

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Enrique Bradfield Jr. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

So we all knew Vanderbilt baseball was going to be good this season, but I’m not sure many people had them sweeping Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia before April 3.

Completely owning the SEC so far, Head Coach Tim Corbin has once again proved why he’s the best coach in the country as he continues to run the best program in the country. Players like Chris Maldonado, RJ Schreck, Parker Noland and Enrique Bradfield Jr. have been key to the Commodores explosive offense. Vandy scored 55 runs on Mississippi State last weekend, scoring 26 of them in the opener, which was only a seven inning game. Noland went off, scoring 11 RBI’s off five hits, including two home runs.

Freshman Chris Maldonado, brother of senior Vandy pitcher Nick Maldonado, has really found his grove, getting a combined 10 hits in the Georgia and Mississippi State series’. In 68 at-bats, Maldonado is batting .382 and sports an on-base-percentage of .456. His ceiling is extremely high in this season, let alone for the future. Maldonado has offered some solid work at the plate as a designated hitter which balances out the top half and bottom half of Vandy’s lineup.

Bradfield Jr. continues to be one of the best base-runners in all of college baseball. After stealing 46 bases on 46 attempts last season, Bradfield has stolen 20 so far in 2023 and is on pace to steal at least 40 bags. Now a junior, he has become one of the backbones and leaders for Vanderbilt starting in all 28 games this season and being an absolute rock on defense. He currently sports a perfect fielding percentage with 75 putouts. He is the guy that Corbin can rely on to get the job done.

As the season gets deeper and Vandy takes on the likes of Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas, the team will lean on the leadership and experience of guys like Bradfield. Two other players that have quickly found themselves in similar roles are sophomores Devin Futrell and Carter Holton, who’ve both been great for the ‘Dores on the mound this season.

Futrell was just named SEC Pitcher of the Week after throwing eight shutout innings in Sunday’s win over Georgia. He struck out seven and didn’t allow a walk while holding the Bulldogs to only three hits. In seven appearances, six of which he started, Futrell sports a .270 ERA with 27 strikeouts with a 63 strike percentage.

Hotlon leads the team with the best ERA among qualified pitchers at .259 in six games started. He has only given up nine runs while only striking out 32 batters. Holton has been on fire the past few weeks, picking up fours wins in each of his last four starts, giving up just eight runs in 24 innings pitched. Both him and Futrell will be key for Vanderbilt’s success toward the end of the season into tournament play.

The Commodores are extremely talented and have a great mix of veterans and up-and-comers as well as some promising freshmen. But their biggest tests have yet to come, as they will face No. 6 South Carolina the weekend of April 14-16, followed by No. 11 Tennessee and No. 10 Kentucky in consecutive series. Vanderbilt will finish their final seven games at No. 3 Florida, a single match against MTSU before hosting No. 5 Arkansas in the final series of the regular season.

April and May will be a boot camp for Vandy’s young players, and for the veterans, who want to solidify themselves as top SEC ball players before the SEC Tournament and NCAA regionals. This is a College World Series caliber team at the moment, and they can further prove that to the rest of the country if they can continue to pick up wins, especially against the best teams in DI baseball.

Season Preview: The Nashville Sounds Have Top-Tier Talent & You Should Pay Attention

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Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

There’s nothing quite like the beginning of baseball. It’s so inherently nostalgic and American, and brings hope of a new summer. This is especially true when your local ball team plays well.

The Nashville Sounds are coming off of an amazing season and are expected to have another fantastic year in the International League. The Sounds major league affiliation, the Milwaukee Brewers, have a handful of must-see prospects this season and fans can get a glimpse of these rising stars here in Nashville.

In 2022, the Sounds finished their season first in their division and first in the league with a record of 91-58. The team went to Las Vegas to play in the International League Championship but lost to 1-0 to the Durham Bulls. Fans had a chance to watch Brice Turang kill it for Nashville, leading all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .286, with 152 hits, 13 home runs and 78 RBI’s. Turang is now on the Brewers roster and started f0r Milwaukee in their season opener on Thursday (March 30) having three at bats and getting one hit.

First Horizon Park. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

There are plenty of talented baseball players like Turang on the Sounds that can have a stellar season and make it to the big leagues. Two players in particular that fans should have on their radar are Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer.

Frelick and Wiemer are currently ranked No. 30 and No. 90 in MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects for 2023. Both spent more than 40 games last year on the Sounds and will mostly play all of 2023 in Nashville as neither are on the Brewers 40 Man Roster.

Last season Frelick, bounced around from Advanced A, Double A, and finally Triple A with the Sounds. While in Nashville, he played 46 games with 189 at-bats, batting .365 with an OPS of .943, 69 hits, 25 RBI’s and 19 walks. The soon to be 23-year-old has a high ceiling and fans can expect to see a lot of him this season.

Wiemer had a similar season to Frelick in 2022. He spent 86 games in Double A and 43 games with the Sounds. Wiemer had 150 at-bats, hitting .287 with an one-base-percentage of .368. He had 43 hits and 30 RBI’s. In a full season with the Sounds, Wiemer could definitely find himself as a top prospect by the end of the year.

Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

Another super fan player that put on show for the Sounds last season was 31-year-old Jon Singleton. Singleton was stellar, with Opening Day RBI’s in what was his first appearance in the MLB system since 2017. He was the backbone of the Sounds offense, playing 136 games with 456 at-bats. He finished the season with an average of .219, OBP of .375 and an OPS of .809. He had 100 hits and led the team in home runs (24) RBI’s (87) and walks (117.)

He may have a chance at playing in the big leagues later in the season if Milwaukee is in need of a big bat, but he will most likely spend almost all of 2023 in Nashville. If you’re looking for a player to follow, support and root for, Singleton is your guy.

Sounds fans may have a chance to see the Brewers top prospect, Jackson Chourio, at some point this season as he finished 2022 in Double A. Chourio, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, is currently ranked No. 8 in MLB’s Top 100 Prospect for 2023 and spent last season in Single A, Single A+ and Double A. He finished last year playing 99 games with all three teams, batting .288 with an OPS of .880. He had 400 at-bats, 115 hits, 20 home runs and 75 RBI’s.

Chourio struggled a bit in the batter’s box, striking out 118 times, so he will need to show some improvement there before he gets called up to the Sounds. But looking at his trajectory, it would be surprising if Chourio makes his Triple A debut at some point this summer.

The Sounds start their season on Saturday, April 1 with a double-header, after Friday’s opener was postponed due to weather. Nashville host rivals the Louisville Bats to start 2023 before playing a six games series in Memphis against the Redbirds next week.

Proceeds From Vanderbilt Baseball Game To Benefit The Covenant School

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Hawkins Field

Vanderbilt University will be donating the ticket proceeds from tonight (March 28)’s baseball game against Lipscomb to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee benefitting The Covenant School and supporting those affected by the tragedy that unfolded in the Nashville community yesterday (March 27).

The Commodores, who are currently ranked No. 4 nationally, and the Bisons will meet at 6 p.m. at Hawkins Field. Those wishing to donate can visit CFMT.org or purchase a ticket to tonight’s game. All ticket sales will be donated to the Caring for Covenant Fund.

Tickets are five dollars (plus fees). Vanderbilt and Lipscomb will join those in attendance in a moment of silence prior to the game.

Six people, including three students, were murdered in a mass shooting at The Covenant School in the Green Hills area yesterday morning. Members of the community continue to reach out to all those affected as families attempt to heal from the tragedy.

Report: Bally Sports Parent Company Diamond Sports Filing For Bankruptcy

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Diamond Sports, the parent company of Bally Sports, will be filing for bankruptcy as soon as this Friday, March 17, according to a report from Sports Business Journal (SBJ)‘s John Ourand.

Bally Sports currently broadcasts both professional and college teams in 19 regional sports networks, including Nashville with primarily Predators coverage. SBJ notes that the days leading up to the official filing will be very intense as Diamond executives will be trying to negotiate with leagues, creditors, distributors, etc., attempting to enter bankruptcy with a restructuring plan that could be accepted by a judge.

At the moment, the biggest league that is facing issues with Bally is Major League Baseball (MLB), which has multiple teams waiting on payments for the TV rights to the likes of the Arizona Diamondbacks and more. In a new report from the New York Post, MLB plans to broadcast games of about a half-dozen teams, that usually are shown on Bally, for free so fans don’t miss out when the season starts on March 30.

The SBJ report also states that the National Hockey League (NHL) is working with Diamond to reach a solution. At the end of 2021, the NHL was the first league to cut a digital rights deal with Diamond, and sources say the league is looking to accommodate the company. Ourand goes on to claim that, “of all the leagues, the NHL is, perhaps, in the best position in the unlikely event that Diamond fails to carry its games. The NHL already has a deal that allows ESPN to carry the league’s out-of-market games on ESPN+. The league could fashion a deal that would give ESPN the in-market rights, too.”

As of now, there is no news regarding what will happen to Predators games once Diamond Sports files for bankruptcy at the end of the week.

Nashville Sounds Announce Single-Game Tickets To Go On Sale February 28

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Nashville Sounds Opening Day 2022

Single-game tickets for all 75 Nashville Sounds home games for the 2023 season at First Horizon Park will go on sale tomorrow (Feb. 28) at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online, at the First Horizon Park Ticket Office or by calling 615-690-HITS ext. 2.

Notable 2023 home games include Opening Day on Friday, March 31 against the Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds) at 6:35 p.m., Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 14 against the Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves) at 2:05 p.m. and Tuesday, July 4 against the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians) at 6:05 p.m.

The Sounds will see two opponents return to First Horizon Park for the first time since 2019. The Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals) play the Sounds April 25-30, while the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) will be in town from May 23-28.

First Horizon Park and the Sounds will host 13 different homestands to fill the 75-game home slate. The longest homestand of the season is a 12-game, 13-day stretch from June 13-25 when the Sounds host the Gwinnett Stripers from June 13-18 and the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles) from June 20-25.

In addition to the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals, the Sounds will also host the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

The full promotion schedule for the 2023 season at First Horizon Park can be found by clicking here.

Stephen B. Smith To Be Inducted Into The Tennessee Sports Hall Of Fame

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Stephen B. Smith. Photo: Courtesy of MTSU Athletics

MTSU Board of Trustees Chairman, former Blue Raiders pitcher and Tennessee Walking Horse Champion Stephen B. Smith has been named a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Smith was surprised with the news Saturday evening, prior to the MTSU Lady Raiders basketball game against UAB. MTSU President Dr. Sidney McPhee, MTSU Athletics Director Chris Massaro and Lady Raiders Coach, TSHF Inductee Rick Insell, were all present for the announcement.

“Stephen Smith’s connection to Middle Tennessee covers the last six decades, from his time at Battle Ground Academy, to MTSU, to the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, Stephen has made an impact throughout his life,” says Brad Willis, Executive Director of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. “To this day, he continues to contribute his time and efforts to athletics, and we are thrilled to be able to honor him as part of our 2023 Class.”

Stephen B. Smith. Photo: Courtesy of MTSU Athletics

Smith graduated from Battle Ground Academy as a three-sport letterman, before pitching for the MTSU baseball team. The university’s inaugural Board of Trustees Chairman played an important role as part of the 1976 OVC Championship team, and overcame a life-threatening auto accident in 1977 to lead MTSU to a Western Division OVC Championship. He also spent time as a scout with the St. Louis Cardinals. Smith was an original partner and board member of the Nashville Sounds, a board member of the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association and winner of the association’s 2009 “Mr. Baseball” Award. He has experience coaching youth baseball, and is currently part of the Williamson County Sports Authority as well as the board for Music City Baseball, an organization dedicated to bringing MLB to Nashville. Smith led the effort to construct the first lighted college baseball stadium in Tennessee, the current 3,000 seat stadium and MTSU’s new baseball clubhouse, which is named in his honor.

Additionally, Smith has been a lifelong horseman, winning 10 World Championships as a rider. He is an award-winning Walking Horse breeder, having bred, foaled and raised 11 Tennessee Walking Horses that have won a combined 32 World Championships.

The full 2023 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The induction ceremony, presented by the Tennessee Titans, will be held Saturday, July 22 at the Omni Nashville Downtown. Ticket information will be announced at a later date.