2016 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team

The 2016 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Commodores play their home games at Hawkins Field as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. They are led by head coach Tim Corbin, in his 14th season at Vanderbilt. The Commodores compiled a 40–15 regular season record, going 18–12 in the SEC and finishing ranked #10 in the nation. The Commodores earned a #6 seed in the 2016 Southeastern Conference tournament, where they went 2–2 and were eliminated by Texas A&M, the eventual champions. Following the SEC tournament, the Commodores hosted a regional in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament, part of the Louisville super regional. The season was marred by the death of freshman pitcher Donny Everett, who drowned the day before Vanderbilt was to take on Xavier University in their first regional game. Vanderbilt went 0–2 in the Nashville regional to end the season, falling to Xavier and Washington.

2016 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
Record42–19 (18–12 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home stadiumHawkins Field
2016 Southeastern Conference baseball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT
Eastern
No. 12 South Carolina  x‍‍‍y 20–9–0 .69046–18–0 .719
No. 7 Florida  ‍‍‍y 19–10–0 .65552–16–0 .765
No. 23 Vanderbilt  ‍‍‍y 18–12–0 .60043–19–0 .694
Kentucky  ‍‍‍ 15–15–0 .50032–25–0 .561
Georgia  ‍‍‍ 11–19–0 .36727–30–0 .474
Tennessee  ‍‍‍ 9–21–0 .30029–28–0 .509
Missouri  ‍‍‍ 9–21–0 .30026–30–0 .464
Western
No. 10 Mississippi State x‍†‍‍y 21–9–0 .70044–18–1 .706
No. 9 Texas A&M  ‍‍‡‍y 20–10–0 .66749–16–0 .754
No. 13 LSU  ‍‍‍y 19–11–0 .63345–21–0 .682
Ole Miss  ‍‍‍y 18–12–0 .60043–19–0 .694
Alabama  ‍‍‍ 15–15–0 .50032–26–0 .552
Auburn  ‍‍‍ 8–22–0 .26723–33–0 .411
Arkansas  ‍‍‍ 7–23–0 .23326–29–0 .473
x – Division champion
† – Conference champion
‡ – Tournament champion
y – Invited to the NCAA tournament
Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

Previous season

After a slow start to the 2015 season, the Commodores easily qualified for the 2015 Southeastern Conference tournament, where they finished second to the Florida Gators. They then played host to the 2015 NCAA Nashville Regional, where they defeated Lipscomb University and Radford University, the latter by a record-tying shutout score of 21–0. The Commodores then faced the University of Illinois in the NCAA Superegional, defeating them in a two-game sweep and advancing to the College World Series. In their opening-round game in the 2015 College World Series, Vanderbilt defeated Cal State Fullerton, 4–3, on a walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth in a game that had been suspended due to rain the night before, advancing into the winners' bracket. In their second-round game, Vanderbilt defeated the number 7 national seed TCU, 1–0. Zander Wiel hit a home run in the 7th inning to score the lone run of the game and break up a no-hitter. Behind an offensive outburst and dominating performance behind the arm of Walker Buehler, the Commodores beat TCU 7–1 to advance to their second straight College World Series Championship Series. In game 1 of the championship series Vanderbilt defeated Virginia 5–1 thanks to an outing by Carson Fulmer. Virginia held Vanderbilt scoreless (3–0) for just the second time all year, forcing a winner-take-all third game for the national championship. The Cavaliers beat Vanderbilt 4–2 to win their first baseball national championship in program history.

Donny Everett

Vanderbilt freshman pitcher Donny Everett drowned at Normandy Lake, in Manchester, Tennessee, on June 2, 2016, just one day before the Commodores were to play Xavier to enter the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. According to officials, Everett was fishing with four friends when he decided to attempt to swim from the west side to the east side of Fire Lake Bridge. Halfway through, Everett began noticing problems and notified his friends for help, but they thought he was "joking around" because he didn't seem to be in distress. The report stated one of the four swam in to help Everett, by which he stated he wasn't a good swimmer and struggling to stay afloat. He looked back, but Everett had gone under and wasn't coming up-shore. Officials sent a deputy and an ambulance at 5:00 PM to the lake for "a subject that had gone underwater". Deputies recovered his body at 6:49 PM, and he was sent to the state medical examiner in Nashville. He was 19 years old. Everett won the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year, and was drafted in the 29th round last year by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Clarkville High School in Clarkville, Tennessee. He finished this season with a 0–1 record and a 1.50 ERA, as well as 13 strikeouts in 12 innings. After Everett's death, Vanderbilt University released a statement saying that "...the team, the athletic department and the university are trying to come to terms with this tragedy." As a result of Everett's untimely death, many NCAA baseball teams, including Ole Miss and LSU, paid tribute by holding a moment of silence and writing Everett's initials on their equipment. The NCAA offered to postpone Vanderbilt's June 3 game against Xavier but the Commodores planned to play, with Coach Corbin calling the baseball field "their safe haven." The game was eventually postponed due to rain.

Personnel

Roster
2016 Vanderbilt Commodores roster[1]
 

Pitchers

  • 21 – John Kilichowski – Junior
  • 23 – Joey Abraham – Sophomore
  • 24 – Jordan Sheffield – Redshirt Sophomore
  • 27 – Chandler Day – Freshman
  • 28 – Matt Ruppenthal – Sophomore
  • 29 – Patrick Raby – Freshman
  • 31 – Ryan Johnson – Redshirt Sophomore
  • 32 – Hayden Stone – Junior
  • 35 – Ben Bowden – Junior
  • 38 – Matt McGarry – Freshman
  • 40 – Collin Snider – Sophomore
  • 41 – Donny Everett – Freshman
  • 42 – Maddux Conger – Freshman
  • 44 – Kyle Wright – Sophomore
  • 45 – Evan Steele – Freshman
  

Catchers

  • 5 – Jason Delay – Junior
  • 25 – Karl Ellison – Junior
  • 33 – Tristan Chari – Sophomore

Infielders

  • 2 – Tyler Campbell – Senior
  • 8 – Alonzo Jones – Freshman
  • 9 – Will Toffey – Sophomore
  • 10 – Ethan Paul – Freshman
  • 11 – Liam Sabino – Sophomore
  • 12 – Connor Kaiser – Freshman
  • 16 – Penn Murfee – Redshirt Sophomore
  • 55 – Tyler Green – Redshirt Sophomore
  

Outfielders

  • 1 – Ro Coleman – Junior
  • 3 – Jeren Kendall – Sophomore
  • 17 – Walker Grisanti – Freshman
  • 18 – Nolan Rogers – Junior
  • 19 – Stephen Scott – Freshman
  • 20 – Bryan Reynolds – Junior
  • 39 – Kyle Smith – Senior
  

Coaching staff
NamePositionSeasons at
Vanderbilt		Alma mater
Tim CorbinHead coach14Ohio Wesleyan University (1984)
Scott BrownAssistant coach4SUNY Cortland (1999)
Travis JewettAssistant coach4Washington State University (1993)

Schedule
Legend
 Vanderbilt win
 Vanderbilt loss
 Postponement
BoldVanderbilt team member
2015 Vanderbilt Commodores Game Log
Regular season
Post-season
NCAA tournament: Nashville Regional
Date Opponent Regional Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record Regional Record
June 3vs. #4 Xavier#1Hawkins Field • Nashville, TNMoved to June 4
June 4vs. #4 Xavier#1Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN1–15Lowther (7–5)Sheffield (8–6)None2,95442–180–1
June 4vs. #3 Washington#1Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN8–9Jones (6–2)Ruppenthal (5–2)None42–190–2 Eliminated

Record vs. conference opponents


Last two do not qualify for conf. tourn. Blank are not scheduled. Blue are home games, otherwise away.

2016 SEC baseball records

Source: 2016 SEC baseball game results

TeamW–LALAARKAUBFLAUGAKENLSUMSUMIZZMISSSCARTENNTAMUVANTeamDivSRSW
ALA15–153–02–1.1–21–22–11–2.2–10–32–11–2.ALAW55–51–1
ARK7–230–33–00–3.2–10–30–31–20–30–3.1–2.ARKW72–81–6
AUB8–221–20–3..2–11–20–31–20–3.2–11–20–3AUBW62–80–4
FLA19–10.3–0.2–11–21–21–23–0.1–12–13–02–1FLAE26–33–0
UGA11–192–1..1–21–2.1–22–11–22–11–20–30–3UGAE53–70–2
KEN15–152–11–21–22–12–1..2–10–32–12–1.1–2KENE46–40–1
LSU19–111–23–02–12–1..1–23–01–2.3–01–22–1LSUW36–43–0
MSU21–92–13–03–02–12–1.2–13–02–1..0–32–1MSUW19–13–1
MIZZ9–21.2–12–10–31–21–20–30–3.0–33–0.0–3MIZZE72–81–4
MISS18–121–23–03–0.2–13–02–11–2.0–32–11–2.MISSW46–43–1
SCAR20–93–03–0.1–11–21–2..3–03–03–01–21–2SCARE15–45–0
TENN9–211–2.1–21–22–11–20–3.0–31–20–3.2–1TENNE62–80–3
TAMU20–102–12–12–10–33–0.2–13–0.2–12–1.2–1TAMUW29–12–1
VAN18–12..3–01–23–02–11–21–23–0.2–11–21–2VANE35–53–0
TeamW–LALAARKAUBFLAUGAKENLSUMSUMIZZMISSSCARTENNTAMUVANTeamDivSRSW

Updated for entire regular season.

References
  1. "Official Baseball Roster". Vanderbilt Commodores. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
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