Series Preview: Ags face Vandy for three-game set at Hawkins Field

Who: No. 22 Vanderbilt Commodores (16-5, 1-2 in SEC)
Where: Hawkins Field - Nashville, Tennessee
When:

Thursday: 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Friday: 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network+/ESPN+)
Saturday: 2 p.m. CT (SEC Network+/ESPN+)

Pitching matchups

Thursday: LHP Ryan Prager (2-0, 1.48 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Fennell (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Friday: LHP Justin Lamkin (1-1, 2.20 ERA) vs. LHP JD Thompson (2-1, 4.74 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Myles Patton (2-2, 2.15 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Bowkey (2-1, 2.08 ERA)

Scouting Vanderbilt

Tim Corbin is doing Tim Corbin things. RHP Cody Bowker, LHP JD Thompson and RHP Austin Nye have each started five games this season, but right-hander Connor Fennell gets the unlikely nod on Thursday night. The 6-foot-1 transfer from Dayton owns a 0.00 ERA in just 5.2 innings across five appearances, all out of the bullpen. Again, just typical Corbin gamesmanship as he figures to start the series with an opener.

Beyond Fennell, the arms with the most innings are Bowker (26.0 innings) and Thompson (24.2), and they own ERAs of 2.08 and 4.74, respectively. They each have punched out 32 batters on the year. Thompson will form a lefty-lefty matchup with Justin Lamkin on Friday night, while Bowker — and his team-leading 2.08 ERA — will start the series finale on Saturday afternoon.

George Walker IV/USA TODAY NETWORK

Tim Corbin is in his 23rd season at Vanderbilt. He has led the Commodores to a pair of national championships.

Offensively, right fielder Jacob Humphrey leads the Commodores in average (.400) and on-base percentage (.522), but he was the only Vandy Boy listed on the SEC Student-Athlete Availablity Report, noted as “probable.” Third baseman Brodie Johnston leads in slugging (.631) and RBIs (21), and shortstop Jonathan Vastine is the top home run hitter with four despite a .234 average.

To describe the Vanderbilt program in a word, “different” seems apt. From their oddball stretching routines to their poor choice in uniform colors, Corbin & Co. do things differently.

Another one of those key differences is how they run the bases. Noted as the fastest home-to-first team in the SEC, the Commodores have also swiped 40 out of their 44 stolen base attempts. In the SEC, only Kentucky (51) and Oklahoma (50) have more steals, while the Aggies are 15th out of 16 with 19. Both Humphrey and RJ Austin are tied for the league lead with 11.

Also, the ‘Dore are likely seeking revenge for one of the most impressive three-game series in recent memory. You’ll no doubt remember the 2024 A&M-Vandy series at Blue Bell Park, in which the Aggies swept the Commodores and outscored them 36-6 across the three-day bludgeoning.

Weirdness is expected this weekend. That’s just Corbin being Corbin.

Texas A&M storylines to watch

Tuesday showed us that Michael Earley is still trying to find the right nine.

Coming off the bench in back-to-back games, Ben Royo figures to factor into the starting lineup. Does he play left? Does he get the nod at second base? Sawyer Farr has committed a team-worst four errors, but the switch hitter had solid at-bats last weekend vs. Alabama. Does he get another look? Will another true freshman — Sam Erickson — get consistent playing time as A&M searches for an answer in the corner outfield position opposite Terrence Kiel II?

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Caden Sorrell was listed as “out” on Thursdays’ intial SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report. He has yet to play this season.

That’s way more question marks than anyone expected at this point in the season, but with the injury to Gavin Grahovac, Caden Sorrell still not being ready and an overall lack of production from others in the lineup, this is somehow A&M’s reality.

Albeit against inferior pitching, Tuesday’s splattering of Corpus Christi showed us what the offense could be if a consistent approach takes hold. Of their 13 hits, only five went for extra bases as the Aggies appeared content to put the ball in play, hit behind runners and take advantage of opportunities with men in scoring position. They worked nine walks, were hit by three pitches and took advantage of three errors for a free-pass total of 15. A&M was 10-for-23 with runners on and 22-for-30 in advancement opportunities. Taking that timely-hitting success with them to Nashville is critical, considering how the clutch hit eluded — and ultimately sank — the Ags last week.

Additionally, A&M’s defense has regressed since stringing together six consecutive error-free games. On Saturday, an error on a routine grounder in the ninth later led to the back-breaking grand slam. Without that Farr miscue, A&M likely enters the bottom of the inning tied 2-2. Instead, they lost that game 6-2 and allowed four unearned runs. On Tuesday, the Aggies committed two more errors and coughed up a pair of unearned runs as the Islanders found themselves leading 7-6 entering the bottom of the third.

I said it last week: Runs will be at a premium in SEC play. A&M cannot afford to give them away.

Speaking of the importance of limiting runs, A&M’s pitching staff has been pretty solid in this regard. Even after Tuesday, the Aggies own the nation’s fifth-best ERA at 2.98. However, the four teams ahead of them — Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Florida State and Oregon State — only have seven combined losses to A&M’s nine. Simply put: Ryan Prager, Justin Lamkin and Myles Patton deserve better. That trio will continue to give their club chances to win ballgames, but it’s up to the offense to start supporting the luxury that is this starting rotation.

Speaking of run support, a few big flies into the Nashville sky might help, which leads us to our somehow ever-present reminder: Jace LaViolette is still one home run behind Daylan Holt’s 56 for the program record. Will this be the weekend No. 17 passes No. 17 to become No. 1?

What’s at stake this weekend

Last week’s gut-punch of a sweep has the Aggies backed into a corner early.

With an 0-3 hole in SEC play, A&M really needs a positive weekend in Nashville with remains ahead. The month of April includes road trips to Knoxville, Fayetteville and Austin, so starting 1-5 would put the Aggies in “must-win” territory even before getting to that gauntlet inside the SEC gauntlet.

That said, leaving the West End with two out of three would go a long way toward getting the Maroon & White back on track. However, that’s much easier said than done.

Still, the margin is already getting thin for Earley & Co. Suffering another gut punch would have the Aggies on the ropes and peering into the abyss of a postseason-less June.

That cannot happen. Avoiding such a fate begins in Nashville. #BTHOvanderbilt