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Omaha Bound

Vanderbilt advanced to its fifth College World Series with a 4-1 win against East Carolina.

By Vanderbilt Athletics

June 12^th, 2021

Beat the Heat

The Commodores beat the 100-degree heat index, and the Pirates, on Saturday.

Shades on Saturday

Vanderbilt warmed up in the Saturday sun, looking to secure its fifth College World Series appearance.

Fan Fest Preparation

VandyBoys fans got ready for Saturday on Jess Neely Drive during Fan Fest.

Home Field Advantage

Vanderbilt finished the 2021 campaign with a 29-6 record at home while outscoring its opponents 241-101.

The Commodores are 10-1 in their last 11 postseason games at Hawkins Field.

Leiter = Lights Out

Jack Leiter went 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out 10 and walking only three.

“This is why you come to Vanderbilt - for moments like this. Honestly this season just would have felt incomplete if we didn’t make it this far. I’m just happy for the team and I can’t wait to celebrate with them.”

Gas for Leiter

Through four frames, Leiter fanned eight.

The two teams combined for three hits, all singles, two walks and 11 whiffs through the first four innings.

Breaking Through

Tied 0-0 through four, the Commodores took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth after taking advantage of a pair of walks.

Javier Vaz and Jayson Gonzalez drew consecutive walks with one out. A double steal on strike three to Enrique Bradfield Jr. put runners on second and third with two outs, setting the table for Carter Young's two-run single to right center.

Turning Two; Leading by One

East Carolina hit a solo home run to open the bottom of the seventh, but a double play ended the inning with the Commodores up 2-1.

Fully Insured

Vanderbilt added two runs in the top of the ninth for the 4-1 final.

The Final Tally

A two-out, bases-loaded walk to Dominic Keegan forced in Gonzalez with the Commodores' fourth run of the game.

Six Up; Six Down

Nick Maldonado came in for the eighth and ninth and retired all six Pirates in order.

The Final Out

Maldonado clinched the Nashville Super Regional with one final strikeout that set off a wild celebration at Hawkins Field.

See ya in Omaha!

“Just so happy for the kids. Happy they get this opportunity because it’s so difficult to do. We played so well through the course of the year to give ourselves an opportunity to host a Regional and Super Regional.”

“When you come to Vanderbilt there’s no surprise when you get to a stage like this. We’ve been there before with teams past. We know how hard it is and we everything we’ve gone through as a team, but this is normal for us. It’s what we’re here to do.”

Footnotes

Frequently updated College World Series information will be available on VUCommodores.com.

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FootNotes

Frequently updated College World Series information will be available on VUCommodores.com.

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