#2 Vanderbilt travels to Gainesville to face the Preseason #1 Florida Gators [currently #12]
For the third consecutive weekend the Commodores will face a nationally ranked team. So far, so good, as they've won the previous 2 series
Corbs-Sully Era
With the exception of these two coaches no other active coach in America has won the national championship in 5 years. It seems like decades ago. Come to think of it, so does 2020, but that's a different story for a different day.
These two teams have won 2 of last 3 National Championships and 3 of the last 6.
During the regular season series each of those years (2014, 2017, 2019) the team that won the series went on the win the World Series.
Sully took over at Florida in 2008 and these two coaches have faced each other 44 times since then.
Florida has won 59% of those games.
The regular season record for Vandy is 15-21; in the post-season it’s 3-5 with 3 of those losses coming in 2011 – SECT championship game and 2 games in Omaha.
Were it not for Florida that year Vandy could well have won their first national championship (Vandy matched-up well with NC USCjr and split the season’s games with them 2-2.)
Of the 12 regular season series played between them there have been 4 sweeps, 3 by Florida. Both teams swept the last time they won the National Championship.
Vandy has won 5 of those series and Florida 7.
In Nashville, they’ve split 6 series but Florida has won 4 of 6 series in Gainesville.
Of the series decided 2-1 the two teams have split 8.
One consistent theme since they’ve competed is that the team that wins the regular season series does the best in post-season play, all the way from Hoover to Omaha.
In that sense, this weekend could have monumental implications.
2021 series
This year promises to be another knock-down-drag-out affair between two fierce rivals on the baseball diamond. Off the diamond, the fans of each team absolutely loathe each other.
On the field, Corbs and Sully take no prisoners when competing against each other.
Off the field, they are the best of friends and coached together at Clemson and (little known possible fact) Sully once lost a friendly wager with Corbs and had to treat him and Maggie to breakfast at the Waffle House [total cost $22.47 plus tip] back in 2019 when Florida was last in Nashville. [I don’t know for sure, but the bet might have been who was more ‘fit’, and Sully forgot to ask who the judge would be. Maggie’s decision was a no-brainer.]
Two of the 3 games will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Pitching Matchups
Team SEC Stat Comparison
In SEC play, these two teams are quite similar offensively. Vandy bats .274, Florida .268. Both have hit 22 home runs. Vandy has scored 110 runs, Florida 105. Vandy’s OBP is .357, Florida’s .350. With RISP, these two teams lead the league: Florida .303, Vandy .297
Each team fields equally well and both have outstanding shortstops.
Vandy has the edge in overall pitching in SEC games: ERA 3.35 vs. Florida’s 4.45. Vandy’s OBA is much better, .173 to .257.
Vandy strikes out a lot more – 202 to 146. But Florida walks far fewer – 44 to 62.
If you put hitting together with free bases then it's Vandy allowing .272 on-base and Florida .324.
[Of the base runners Vandy has allowed, 100 got there with a hit. 77 more got there with a walk or HBP. So we've "gifted" almost as many as our opponent have "earned" -- 44% to 56%. For Florida that is 28% to 72%. Clearly, Vandy needs to do a better job of making opposing batters earn their bases.]
Both teams have guys up and down the line-up that can hurt you. Florida’s top guys are
freshman Nathan Hickey (.344, OBP .476, BB 17)
, Jacob Young (21 runs, 6 SB)
, and Jud Fabian (7 HR – and lots of strike outs.)
Florida’s top bullpen guy is Christian Scott, 2.33 ERA and OBA .211.
Jack Leftwich
also provides lots of quality innings in that role. These two, along with their starters, throw 85% of their total innings in SEC play. The same is true of Vandy starters plus the Co-CEOs of the 3M Company -- Maldonado, McElvain, Murphy. Don't be surprised if that percentage jumps to more than 90% this weekend for both teams. [If Ethan Smith is able to pitch that may not be true for Vandy.]
Overall, these are two very evenly matched teams other than in overall player ugliness, which Florida wins hands-down. Along those same lines I also think Kevin O'Sullivan
looks like what The Incredible Hulk might look like in old age after the green fades to sun-scorched brown and his paunch expands.
The only real difference record-wise within league play is that Florida (11-7) got swept by South Carolina, a team Vandy (13-5) topped 2 games to 1.
In addition, Florida lost their series to UT 2-1 whereas Vandy won it 2 -1.
Both UT series were played in Knoxville, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the Home Run Capital of the World where balls fly out faster than they do at the entrance gate to that nudist colony near Murfreesboro.
Vandy has won 3 big series with SC, UT, and State but lost to Georgia. Florida’s only big series win was Ole Miss, losing to both SC and UT. Against common SEC opponents Vandy is 7-2 and Florida is 4-5 with both teams sweeping Missouri 3-0.
The Most Exciting Player for either team is freshman Enrique Bradfield, Jr. who has stolen 7 more bases than the entire Florida team.
Given the even abilities of the two teams overall, that last paragraph of data indicates to me that Vandy will win this series 2 games to 1. It's been a few weekends since we got great performances from both Rocker and Leiter
but I sense that will happen this weekend.
This is based on nothing but a hunch, I just hope it is better than that hunch I had back in the late 90's that Apple would go bankrupt resulting in me selling all my stock.
However, I only state that opinion with 52% confidence and I refuse to put any money where my mouth is unless you waterboard me, in which case I will likely confess to having assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and thereby starting World War I.
Play ball!!!! May the best team (Vanderbilt) win!!!!
For the third consecutive weekend the Commodores will face a nationally ranked team. So far, so good, as they've won the previous 2 series
Corbs-Sully Era
With the exception of these two coaches no other active coach in America has won the national championship in 5 years. It seems like decades ago. Come to think of it, so does 2020, but that's a different story for a different day.
These two teams have won 2 of last 3 National Championships and 3 of the last 6.
During the regular season series each of those years (2014, 2017, 2019) the team that won the series went on the win the World Series.
Sully took over at Florida in 2008 and these two coaches have faced each other 44 times since then.
Florida has won 59% of those games.
The regular season record for Vandy is 15-21; in the post-season it’s 3-5 with 3 of those losses coming in 2011 – SECT championship game and 2 games in Omaha.
Were it not for Florida that year Vandy could well have won their first national championship (Vandy matched-up well with NC USCjr and split the season’s games with them 2-2.)
Of the 12 regular season series played between them there have been 4 sweeps, 3 by Florida. Both teams swept the last time they won the National Championship.
Vandy has won 5 of those series and Florida 7.
In Nashville, they’ve split 6 series but Florida has won 4 of 6 series in Gainesville.
Of the series decided 2-1 the two teams have split 8.
One consistent theme since they’ve competed is that the team that wins the regular season series does the best in post-season play, all the way from Hoover to Omaha.
In that sense, this weekend could have monumental implications.
2021 series
This year promises to be another knock-down-drag-out affair between two fierce rivals on the baseball diamond. Off the diamond, the fans of each team absolutely loathe each other.
On the field, Corbs and Sully take no prisoners when competing against each other.
Off the field, they are the best of friends and coached together at Clemson and (little known possible fact) Sully once lost a friendly wager with Corbs and had to treat him and Maggie to breakfast at the Waffle House [total cost $22.47 plus tip] back in 2019 when Florida was last in Nashville. [I don’t know for sure, but the bet might have been who was more ‘fit’, and Sully forgot to ask who the judge would be. Maggie’s decision was a no-brainer.]
Two of the 3 games will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 6 p.m. CDT (ESPNU) | Saturday | 5:30 P.M. CDT (SECN+) | Sunday | 2 p.m. CDT (ESPN2) | |
| Florida | RHP Franco Aleman (1-1) | RHP Tommy Mace (4-0) | LHP Hunter Barco (6-2) |
| Vanderbilt | RHP Kumar Rocker (9-1) | RHP Jack Leiter (7-1) | TBA |
Team SEC Stat Comparison
In SEC play, these two teams are quite similar offensively. Vandy bats .274, Florida .268. Both have hit 22 home runs. Vandy has scored 110 runs, Florida 105. Vandy’s OBP is .357, Florida’s .350. With RISP, these two teams lead the league: Florida .303, Vandy .297
Each team fields equally well and both have outstanding shortstops.
Vandy has the edge in overall pitching in SEC games: ERA 3.35 vs. Florida’s 4.45. Vandy’s OBA is much better, .173 to .257.
Vandy strikes out a lot more – 202 to 146. But Florida walks far fewer – 44 to 62.
If you put hitting together with free bases then it's Vandy allowing .272 on-base and Florida .324.
[Of the base runners Vandy has allowed, 100 got there with a hit. 77 more got there with a walk or HBP. So we've "gifted" almost as many as our opponent have "earned" -- 44% to 56%. For Florida that is 28% to 72%. Clearly, Vandy needs to do a better job of making opposing batters earn their bases.]
Both teams have guys up and down the line-up that can hurt you. Florida’s top guys are
freshman Nathan Hickey (.344, OBP .476, BB 17)
Florida’s top bullpen guy is Christian Scott, 2.33 ERA and OBA .211.
Overall, these are two very evenly matched teams other than in overall player ugliness, which Florida wins hands-down. Along those same lines I also think Kevin O'Sullivan
The only real difference record-wise within league play is that Florida (11-7) got swept by South Carolina, a team Vandy (13-5) topped 2 games to 1.
In addition, Florida lost their series to UT 2-1 whereas Vandy won it 2 -1.
Both UT series were played in Knoxville, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the Home Run Capital of the World where balls fly out faster than they do at the entrance gate to that nudist colony near Murfreesboro.
Vandy has won 3 big series with SC, UT, and State but lost to Georgia. Florida’s only big series win was Ole Miss, losing to both SC and UT. Against common SEC opponents Vandy is 7-2 and Florida is 4-5 with both teams sweeping Missouri 3-0.
The Most Exciting Player for either team is freshman Enrique Bradfield, Jr. who has stolen 7 more bases than the entire Florida team.
Given the even abilities of the two teams overall, that last paragraph of data indicates to me that Vandy will win this series 2 games to 1. It's been a few weekends since we got great performances from both Rocker and Leiter
This is based on nothing but a hunch, I just hope it is better than that hunch I had back in the late 90's that Apple would go bankrupt resulting in me selling all my stock.
However, I only state that opinion with 52% confidence and I refuse to put any money where my mouth is unless you waterboard me, in which case I will likely confess to having assassinated Archduke Ferdinand and thereby starting World War I.
Play ball!!!! May the best team (Vanderbilt) win!!!!
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