Vanderbilt Baseball Pitchers to Watch This Season

Vanderbilt’s pitching staff is one of the strongest in the nation. Here are three pitchers to keep an eye on this season.

Vanderbilt’s starting rotation

The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team represents Vanderbilt University in NCAA Division I college baseball The team is a member of the Eastern Conference and plays its home games at Hawkins Field on the university’s Nashville, Tennessee campus.

The Commodores are currently coached by Tim Corbin in his 17th season. Under Tim Corbin, the Commodores have appeared in the College World Series five times, winning the tournament in 2014 and 2019.

Vanderbilt’s starting rotation will be anchored by two-way star Kumar Rocker. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound sophomore from Georgia was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year after going 10-5 with a 2.91 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 2019. He was also named a first-team All-American by Baseball America and Perfect Game/Rawlings.

Rocker will be joined in the rotation by junior right-hander Jack Leiter who was named a second-team All-American by Baseball America after going 7-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 2019. Leiter is the son of former Major League pitcher Al Leiter and was ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2020 MLB Draft by baseball America

Rounding out Vanderbilt’s starting rotation will be junior righty Brendan McKay and sophomore lefty Alec Leibility. McKay waslimited to just seven starts due to injury last season, but went 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 42 strikeouts in those appearances. He is a two-time Golden Spikes Award winner (2017, 2018) and was named National Player of the Year by Perfect Game/Rawlings in 2017. Leibility made 14 starts as a freshman last season, going 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA and 80 strikeouts.

Vanderbilt’s bullpen

The Commodores have a deep and experienced bullpen that figures to be one of the strengths of the team. The group is led by senior right-hander Tyler Brown, who has been one of the most reliable arms out of the Vanderbilt bullpen over the past two seasons. Brown has a career ERA of 2.70 and has recorded 14 saves in his career. He will be joined by fellow senior right-hander Matt Ruppenthal, who has a career ERA of 3.38 and has also been a key part of the Vanderbilt bullpen over the past two seasons.

Other pitchers to keep an eye on out of the Vanderbilt bullpen include junior right-handers Hayden Stone and Zach King, sophomore left-hander Alex Bledsoe, and freshman right-hander Reese McGullam.

Vanderbilt’s top pitching prospects

Vanderbilt has a number of top pitching prospects in its 2021 baseball recruiting class. These are the pitchers to keep an eye on this season:

--Ethan Smith The top-ranked pitcher in the class, Smith is a 6’4″ right-hander with a mid-90s fastball. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.
-Landon Simpson: A 6’3″ right-hander with a low-90s fastball, Simpson is ranked as the No. 2 pitcher in the class. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.
-Drew Romero: A 6’2″ righty with a mid-90s fastball, Romero is ranked as the No. 3 pitcher in the class. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.
-Kaden White: A 6’1″ lefty with a low-90s fastball, White is ranked as the No. 4 pitcher in the class. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.
--Jackson Gillis A 6’4″ righty with a low-90s fastball, Gillis is ranked as the No. 5 pitcher in the class. He’s committed to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt’s pitching staff depth

Vanderbilt will have a talented and deep pitching staff this season. The staff is headlined by two-way player Isaiah Thomas who will be a key contributor on both the mound and at the plate. Other pitchers to watch include Jack Cooper, Matt McClain Connor Kaiser, and Walker Buehler. These pitchers will provide Vanderbilt with a strong foundation on the mound as they look to compete for a National Championship

Vanderbilt’s pitching coach

Pitching is always a key factor in any baseball team’s success, and Vanderbilt is no exception. Head coach Tim Corbin has assembled a talented and deep pitching staff that should give the Commodores a chance to compete for a National Championship this season. Here are three pitchers to keep an eye on:

1. Walker Buehler – A junior right-hander, Buehler is Vanderbilt’s ace and one of the best pitchers in the country. He has a plus fastball and an excellent complement of secondary pitches, and he knows how to use them all effectively. Buehler has been impressive in his two starts this season, including a complete game victory over then-#1 Indiana.

2. Tyler Beede – A senior right-hander, Beede is another potential first-Round Draft pick this June. He has good size and strength, and his fastball routinely hits 94 mph on the Radar Gun Beede also has a plus curveball that he uses to great effect. He’s been solid in his two starts this season, posting a 2.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched

3. John Kilichowski – A left-hander, Kilichowski is one of the top Relief pitchers in the country. He has a low-90s fastball and an excellent slider, and he knows how to use both pitches to get hitters out. Kilichowski has been nearly unhittable so far this season, allowing just one hit in six shutout innings pitched.

Vanderbilt’s home ballpark

Vanderbilt’s home ballpark is Hawkins Field, located on the university’s campus in Nashville, Tennessee. The field is named after former Vanderbilt baseball coach Larry Hawkins. The facility opened in 2002 and has a seating capacity of 3,700.

Vanderbilt’s pitching schedule

The Vanderbilt Baseball team has released its pitching schedule for the 2019 season. Vanderbilt will have 14 pitchers on its staff this season, including 11 returnees and three new additions.

Vanderbilt’s pitching staff is led by senior right-hander Walker Buehler, who was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America. Buehler is joined by fellow seniors Tyler Beede and Hayden Stone as the team’s experienced arms.

Beede, a first-team All-SEC selection last season, is Vanderbilt’s Friday Night starter while Stone will anchor the team’s bullpen as the closer.

Other pitchers to Watch This Season include junior right-hander Matthew Fisher, who returns as the team’s Saturday starter, and sophomore right-hander Donny Everett, who is expected to be one of the team’s top relief pitchers

How Vanderbilt’s pitchers fared last season

In order to get an idea of how Vanderbilt’s pitchers might fare this season, it’s important to take a look at how they performed last season. Here is a brief overview of the Commodores’ pitching rotation from last year:

1. Walker Buehler – Buehler was Vanderbilt’s ace last season, posting a 10-2 record with a 2.48 ERA in 15 starts. He struck out 103 batters in 100 innings pitched and was named First Team All-SEC. Buehler should be even better this season and is expected to be a major force on the mound for the Commodores.

2. Philip Pfeifer – Pfeifer made 14 starts last season, going 5-5 with a 4.23 ERA. He struck out 83 batters in 81 innings pitched but also walked 46 batters, something he will need to improve upon this season if he wants to be more successful. Pfeifer has the potential to be a very good pitcher but will need to show more control if he wants to reach his full potential.

3. John Kilichowski – Kilichowski made 11 starts last season as a freshman, going 2-6 with a 5.09 ERA. He struck out 66 batters in 57 innings pitched but also walked 34 batters. Kilichowski has shown flashes of brilliance but will need to cut down on the walks if he wants to be more effective this season.

4. Jordan Sheffield – Sheffield made eight starts last season as a freshman, going 1-4 with a 6.86 ERA. He struck out 36 batters in 39 innings pitched but also walked 32 batters. Like Kilichowski, Sheffield will need to show better control if he wants to have more success this year.

Vanderbilt’s pitching statistics

Over the past few seasons, Vanderbilt has had one of the best Collegiate Baseball programs in the country. A big part of their success has been their pitching staff, which is once again loaded with talent heading into the 2020 season. Here are a few pitchers to keep an eye on this year:

Kumar Rocker – Rocker was named the National Freshman of the Year last season after going 10-5 with a 3.6 ERA. He also had 139 strikeouts in just over 100 innings pitched. He will be one of the anchors of Vanderbilt’s rotation this season.

Drake Fellows – Fellows was also very good as a sophomore last season, going 9-4 with a 4.08 ERA. He did not have quite as many strikeouts as Rocker (123 in 103 innings), but he was still very solid for the Commodores. Fellows will likely be Vanderbilt’s #2 starter this season.

Jack Leiter – Leiter is a transfer from Tulane who is eligible to pitch for Vanderbilt this season. He is the son of former Major League pitcher Al Leiter, and he is widely considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in the country. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to pitching in the SEC, but he has the potential to be a star for Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt’s pitchers in the MLB draft

Vanderbilt’s pitchers in the MLB draft are looking to be one of the best crops in years. With a mix of experienced veterans and young up-and-comers, the Commodores have a pitching staff that could see multiple players taken in the first few rounds of the draft.

Headlined by senior right-hander Walker Buehler, Vanderbilt has a trio of pitchers who have a chance to go in the first round of the draft. Buehler, who is considered one of the top college pitchers in the country, is projected to be a top-10 pick. He is joined by fellow seniors Hayden Stone and Philip Pfeifer as potential first-round picks

The Commodores also have a pair of talented junior pitchers who could hear their names called early on draft day. Jordan Sheffield is considered one of the top junior college prospects in the country and is projected to go in the second or third round. Kyle Wright is another junior who is expected to be drafted high, possibly as high as the first round.

With a deep and talented pitching staff, Vanderbilt is once again poised to make a run at the College World Series These are some of the pitchers who will be leading the way for the Commodores this season.