Vanderbilt’s streak of making 17 straight NCAA Tournament Regional baseball appearances — the longest in the country — might be in danger following a weekend sweep at the hands of Georgia.
The Commodores (32-16, 11-13) fell out of Baseball America’s Top 25 ranking on Monday in the aftermath of 10-0, 14-4 and 11-7 losses to the host Bulldogs, who are now ranked No. 14 in the nation.
Vandy has lost five straight Southeastern Conference games and three of its last four SEC series.
“We got a lot of season left, so just getting back and re-think about how we’re going to attack it,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said following the series. “This one certainly stings because it’s three ballgames. But [at the] same time, just got to play forward.”
Vanderbilt would still seem likely to qualify for a regional at this point — though probably not as a host. However, the team’s road ahead to a tournament bid is not an easy one.
The Commodores begin this week by hosting Louisville (29-18), before a massive three-game series against No. 1 Tennessee, starting Friday at Hawkins Field. The Vols (39-9, 17-7) are coming off a weekend sweep of Florida, which was Tennessee’s seventh straight SEC series win.
Vanderbilt will close out the regular season at No. 8 Kentucky (35-10, 18-6), which is 20-5 at home this season.
The SEC baseball tournament runs May 21-26 in Hoover, Ala.
In Sunday’s series finale at Georgia, the Commodores trailed 10-3 after six innings, then climbed back within 10-7 in the eighth, thanks in part to catcher Alan Espinal’s team-leading ninth home run of the season.
RJ Austin, who leads the team with 47 RBI, also knocked in a run. But Vandy would get no closer.
Georgia totaled 35 runs in the three games.
“We didn’t close them down,” Corbin said. “We made a lot of mistakes, too, that cost us, self-induced mistakes from a pitching standpoint. I mean they’re going to hit the ball. But putting guys on base will just complicate things greatly for our pitchers and our defense and for our offense, playing uphill the whole time.”
Vanderbilt had compiled 12 straight winning records in the SEC before 2022, but the ‘Dores may be on the way to a second losing conference mark in the past three years. Vandy has gone 3-9 in its last 12 SEC games.
Injuries have been a notable part of the problem for the Commodores, as infielder Jayden Davis recently underwent orbital bone surgery after getting hit in the face by a pitch April 27. Davis was hitting a team-best .319, with 12 doubles and two home runs.
In addition, pitcher Ethan McElvain (1-2, 3.38 ERA), a Nolensville High grad, has not pitched since April 20 due to a back injury. Pitcher Sawyer Hawks (2-0, 10.50 ERA) has not pitched since March 12 due to an arm injury. Pitcher Andrew Dutkanych IV suffered a season-ending arm injury after throwing just 10-2/3 innings this year.
Pitcher Devin Futrell (2-1, 5.62 ERA) returned to action in late April after missing a month with an injury. The 6-5, 218-pound lefthander had gone 17-6 over his first two seasons, earning second-team All-SEC honors in 2023.