The Vandyboys swept their first weekend series of the year, winning all three against St. Mary’s 11-4, 13-7, and 10-0.

This weekend had a number of great performances both offensively and pitching-wise, but RJ Austin, Riley Nelson, Cody Bowker, and Sawyer Hawks stood out beyond the rest. Austin went 5-9 with a double, two triples, and 3 RBIs; Nelson had 2 hits in every game, going 6-12 with 4 RBIs; Bowker threw a hitless 5 innings and struck out 6 on Sunday; and Hawks threw 3 hitless innings of his own in relief on Friday, striking out 5 in the process.

While not known as a powerhouse, this result is not one to be dismissed as some of the other weekend series around the SEC. The Gaels had won their last 4 straight games before this weekend, including an upset over top-25 Santa Barbara and 3 run rule wins over St. Louis. While a team that Vanderbilt should beat, the fact that Vanderbilt beat them handily in all 3 games is significant. It’s not like St. Mary’s made it easy, either. The Gaels took the lead in each of the first two games, they were even up 4-0 in the 4th and 7-4 in the 7th on Saturday’s matchup. This team demonstrated a consistent ability to respond and then continue to pull away against a solid team this weekend. I don’t know if the 2022, 23, or 24 teams would have shown that same level of mental fortitude.

Vandy only hit one home run this weekend, but still scored a combined 34 runs (and that could have been a lot more). Vandy used a measured approach and a willingness to work counts and take walks to their advantage this weekend. Usually when 34 runs are scored on 33 hits, there will have been some big home runs and not many runners left on base, but it was just the opposite for Vandy. They consistently got deep into counts, got a ton of men on base, and used some clutch 2 out hitting to bring them home. This is evidenced by the fact that Vanderbilt players have struck out just 5 more than they have walked over their first stretch of games. This is a stark departure from last year’s team, who did not work a ton of walks (even in the non-conference) and struck out at almost double the rate that they walked. Credit Jason King for this change.

Vanderbilt also showed some streakiness, with a combined 16 runs being scored in 2 innings this weekend and only 18 being scored over the other 23. While there’s no issue with putting up massive innings, Vanderbilt would be well served to have some more consistent production throughout the game.

One of the biggest storylines of the early season was the health of the Vanderbilt position players, as two of their biggest projected contributors in Brodie Johnston and Mike Mancini had issues with their hands and missed both opening weekend as well as the midweek series. Both returned this weekend, though, and Coach Tim Corbin has said both are “full go’s” from here on out. While Johnston was expected to return quickly, Mancini’s status was more or less unknown with some whispers of an extended time out percolating. To see both this early on is very encouraging as they acclimate to playing for Vanderbilt.

The duo did well this weekend, too, as Johnston went 2-4 with 2 RBI singles on Sunday after a hitless first game starting. Mancini went 2-3 with 2 walks and a double while pitching in 2 RBIs. Both bring some pop and high-potential bats that the lineup sorely needed. Expect both to be in the lineup for the remainder of the season.

Pitching was inconsistent this weekend, highlighted by some amazing performances while also being blemished by some very disappointing ones. As previously mentioned, Hawks and Bowker both had standout performances with neither one allowing a hit in their appearances. Vandy fans knew about these two, insofar as it was known that they needed to play a big role if Vanderbilt was to try and get back to Omaha, but there were legitimate questions about whether they’d be able to produce. To see that these two have now come out and thrown near-perfect outings against solid competition in their first two appearances is an extremely encouraging development for the VandyBoys.

On the other hand, Thompson, McElvain, and Jakob Schulz struggled in their appearances. They allowed 3 runs in 4 innings, 4 runs in 3 innings, and 2 runs in 0.1 innings, respectively. Thompson’s performance was less discouraging than the others, as he is a known commodity and just had a tough day. McElvain and Schulz, though, have to answer some questions, and soon. This is the second straight appearance where McElvain has struggled with command and has given up too much hard contact, as he walked 3 in 3 innings and allowed St Mary’s only home run of the series. He has to improve quickly or he will get knocked out of that weekend starter spot. Schulz walked 2 of the 3 batters he faced in a high leverage scenario. He has to demonstrate better command in these situations if he wants to give the staff confidence in his ability. McElvain in particular has to improve fast, as Vanderbilt needs him to reach his potential in order to avoid stretching a bullpen that already isn’t the deepest in the country.

It has felt to a lot of fans like this lineup is close, but needs one or two more impact bats. Maybe that feeling will go away now that Mancini and Johnston are back, but I still think there needs to be one more guy who can consistently step up in order for this to be an upper-echelon offense.

This weekend it was Jacob Humphrey. He went 5-12 this weekend and consistently delivered when Vandy needed him to. While nobody expects Humphrey to continue to bat nearly .500, can he keep up his production to stick in the lineup?

Braden Holcomb had expectations almost as big as he was coming into this season, and so far he’s only 2-15 and has been benched 3 of the last 5 games. If Humphrey cannot keep up his torrid hitting, it feels like Vandy needs to get someone with some real power going, and Holcomb is likely that guy (he also matches up in terms of defensive positionality, making him even more crucial in an outfield with limited depth).

JD Rogers is the other factor in this. He showed his power and the potential in his bat with his towering home run against Air Force, but just hasn’t been able to hit consistently enough and avoid strikeouts.

These next few weeks will likely determine which one of these three will stick in the outfield this year, and Vanderbilt’s season might just depend on that answer.

Ultimately, it was a highly successful weekend for Vanderbilt, and this result should be taken as a big positive for the team and fans alike. Vanderbilt plays Tennessee Tech in a midweek game before traveling to California where they will take on UCLA, USC, and UConn. We’ll see if they can answer any of the questions we have developed over these last 9 days in that time.