Vanderbilt baseball bounces back from LSU sweep with SEC Tournament-opening win over Ole Miss
HOOVER, Ala. — Vanderbilt baseball knew it needed to flush last weekend quickly. The Commodores were swept by LSU to end the regular season, finishing with a losing SEC record and likely losing the chance to host a regional.
In Tuesday's SEC Tournament opener, Vanderbilt was successful in that mission. After hours of rain delays that led to the game beginning at 10 p.m., the Commodores (37-19) notched a 3-1 over Ole Miss (32-23) to advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament and set up a rematch with No. 1 Tennessee (49-7) on Wednesday night.
"We don't win (Tuesday), we don't go to (Wednesday)," Vanderbilt center fielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. said. "So last week is last week. We don't care about it. It happened. So what we're moving forward and we're here now we got a good win today. Carter (Holton) went out there and gave us the performance we needed to get us rolling. We were able to get some runs across the board and play solid defense so it's about as solid as a game we could have played as a team."
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After the pitching struggled against the Tigers, freshman left-hander Carter Holton had another strong outing, pitching six shutout innings with six strikeouts.
"I think just using all my pitches in any count, knowing when the field was a big thing. I got a great defense behind me, (Ole Miss) had some power hitters, but it's a big field and bad weather. I mean, the ball isn't really flying. So just pitching to contact."
Holton's emergence late in the season could also be big in the NCAA Tournament after his struggles early in the year. He's pitched 24 consecutive scoreless innings after a five-week stretch of allowing at least three runs in each start. If he can develop into an ace-level pitcher, he could give Vanderbilt a piece it has been missing throughout the season.
The ball didn't fly for the Commodores either, but they got an RBI single from first baseman Dominic Keegan, an RBI groundout from designated hitter Parker Noland and an error to score their three runs.
Overall, the solid outing on both phases of the ball may have been what Vanderbilt needed to get back on track with the rematch with the Vols looming. With the Commodores likely solidified as a No. 2 seed, pride is the main thing on the line after Tennessee swept Vanderbilt earlier in the season. But a win Wednesday could give the Commodores a boost of confidence as the postseason approaches.
"We don't change anything we do," Bradfield said. "We prepare the same for every game, no matter the opponent."
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball bounces back, beats Ole Miss to open SEC Tournament
