Vanderbilt Commodores (20-32, 6-21) vs Tennessee Volunteers (27-26, 9-18)
McGugin Field (1,000) - Nashville, Tenn.

Game #1 (53) - Friday, May 14, 7 p.m. CT
Game #2 (54) - Saturday, May 15, 2 p.m. CT
Game #3 (55) - Sunday, May 16, 1 p.m. CT

BASEBALL HOMEPAGE

The Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt, 136-126-3. Last year, the Vols swept the Commodores, 12-6, 11-10 and 14-6 in Knoxville. UT rallied from a two-run deficit in Saturdayıs game to down VU, 11-10. The first meeting between the two teams was over 100 years ago in 1888 when VU won the game, 9-6. Vanderbiltıs last sweep over Tennessee at McGugin Field was April 22-23, 1989. The Vols have not swept the Commodores in Nashville since April 4-5, 1975. In games played in Nashville, Vanderbilt is 49-47-1 against Tennessee, since 1943. UT has won the last 9 of 12 games against the Commodores (1995-1998).

The Coaches
Vanderbilt-Roy Mewbourne is in his 20th season at Vanderbilt (584-516-9) and his 26th season overall as a head coach (851-590-9). Mewbourne is 35-48 against Tennessee.
Tennessee-Coach Rod Delmonico is in his 10th season at the helm of Tennessee baseball. He owns a 399-203 record at Tennessee and the same overall head coaching record.

Scouting the Vols
The Tennessee Volunteers enter this weekend's series with an 27-26 overall record and a 9-18 conference record. The Vols are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Division. Last weekend, UT and South Carolina played three one-run games with the Vols dropping two. The Vols are 6-4 in their last 10 games, 4-15 on the road and are on a one-game win streak.
UT's pitching staff had a 1.97 ERA in three games against USC. On May 9, UT dropped a 5-4 14-inning affair which ties the longest extra-inning game in school history (also vs. Alabama, 1996 SEC Tournament). Freshman 2B Chris Burke has a hit in 19 of his last 21 SEC games and is batting .430 with 18 RBI. He has made just one error in his last 25 games. Freshman SS Stevie Daniel is on a 14-game hit streak, which is best on the squad this season.

Radio/TV
Friday's game will be televised live, locally on WNAB-TV. The talent includes Chip Fridrich and Joe Fisher. Saturdayıs and Sundayıs game will be broadcast on WAMB-AM 1160 and begin 10 minutes before the first pitch. Chip Fridrich will call the action with color from Dede Malmo.

Probable Pitching Rotation
Vanderbilt Commodores
Friday	36  Mike Byrd (Jr., RHP)	Œ99 Stats (3.65 ERA, 4-6, 98.2 IP, 40 ER, 90 K)
Saturday	TBA	
Sunday	34  Andy Beal (So., LHP)	Œ99 Stats (5.86 ERA, 3-3, 73.2 IP, 48 ER, 72 K)
Tennessee Volunteers
Friday	31  Marlyn Tisdale (Jr., RHP)	Œ99 Stats (5.86 ERA, 4-8, 78.1 IP, 51 ER, 83 K)
Saturday	5    Jamie Bennett (Jr., LHP)	Œ99 Stats (4.12 ERA, 10-5, 155.0 IP, 71 ER, 135 K)
Sunday	23  Wyatt Allen (Fr., RHP)	Œ99 Stats (10.06 ERA, 1-2, 36.2 IP, 41 ER, 29 K)	
	

Recent VU/UA Scores
1998 - UT, 12-6 (in Knoxville)
UT, 11-10
UT, 14-6
1997 - UT, 11-2 (in Nashville)
VU, 10-9
VU, 12-9
1996 - UT, 12-5 (in Knoxville)
UT, 7-3
UT, 9-4

Last SEC Action: Vanderbilt Swept at Alabama
The Commodores were swept last weekend by Alabama. It was the eighth straight SEC loss for VU.
In game one on Friday, VU had a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, but Alabama went ahead for good in the bottom of the inning. The Commodores committed four errors, gave up six runs on two outs and allowed only two earned runs in the 9-3 loss.
On Saturday, the Tide combined for seven home runs to down the Commodores, 22-13. It was the most runs VU has allowed all season. Of VUıs 13 hits in the game, only one was for extra bases.
Alabama completed the sweep on Sunday, 14-5, as Vanderbilt gave up three more home runs.
Senior Hunter Bledsoe led Vanderbilt offensively going 7-for-12 (.583) and was a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles in Fridayıs game.

Tops In the SEC
For the second straight week, Vanderbilt has the top two hitters in the SEC. Hunter Bledsoe is first (.459), while freshman Karl Nonemaker is second with a .412 batting average. Bledsoe has led the conference all season and is second in conference games only with a .422 mark. Nonemaker also it tops in SEC games, ranking eighth with a .388 average.

Singles Mark Challenged This yearıs team may lack the home run power it had last year, but the Commodores have pounded out its share of singles this season. With 397 singles, Vanderbilt is only 10 singles away from tying the team single-season record of 407 singles held by the 1980 team.

Two-Bag Record Broken
The Commodores have hit 124 doubles this season. With that mark, this year's squad has broken the school single-season record of 122 doubles held by the 1997 team. VU broke the mark last weekend when Matt Kata hit his 12th double of the year against Alabama on Saturday.

Bledsoe Named Academic All-American; Named to SEC Good Works Team
Vanderbilt baseball standout Hunter Bledsoe has been named a GTE District IV Academic All-American. He is now eligible to be honored as a national GTE Academic All-American. The senior third baseman was selected on the basis of his academic excellence and his athletic performance. Bledsoe has also been named to the 1999 SEC At-Large Sports Good Works Team. The Good Works Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts.
A native of Kingsport, Tenn., Bledsoe boasts a 3.5 GPA while majoring in engineering science and economics. He has been a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Board for three years and has volunteered with KIDS ZONE, Ronald McDonald House, Childrenıs Hospital and the Special Olympics.

Two-Out Troubles Plague VU
Vanderbilt has not had tough defense or pitching when it comes to having two outs in the field. In SEC games only, opponents have scored 101 of 229 total runs on two outs. For the season, the Commodores have given up 140 of 373 total runs with two outs. Hereıs break down of each SEC series and how many runs VU has allowed with two outs:
Kentucky - 0 of 10 runs
Auburn - 11 of 18 runs
S. Carolina - 7 of 30 runs
Ole Miss - 16 of 28 runs
LSU - 15 of 21 runs
Arkansas - 7 of 20 runs
Georgia - 10 of 25 runs
Florida - 16 of 32 runs
Alabama - 19 of 45 runs

Two Are Nationally Ranked
Senior Hunter Bledsoe and freshman Karl Nonemaker are two of the nation's top hitters according to this week's national statistics. Bledsoe is currently ranked third in the nation (as of May 10) and has not hit below .446 since Feb. 20. Nonemaker, who was ranked 28th last week, is now 49th in the nation with a .412 batting average.
Bledsoe was ranked as high as 20th earlier in the year for stolen bases.

Draft Prospects
Three Commodores and two of VU's signees could be signed in this Juneıs Major League Baseball draft. Senior Hunter Bledsoe and juniors Mike Byrd and Matt Kata are likely choices in the draft. Bledsoe, a fifth-year senior will be eligible to sign before the draft even takes place. Mike Byrd has been listed as 76th top college prospect by Baseball America. Two of VU's fall signees, Sheldon Fulse and Nick Priest, may get drafted. Both are listed as two of Baseball Americaıs top 100 high school draft prospects. Priest was listed 28th, while Fulse was 67th.

Hunter Is Hunting For More Hits
Hunter Bledsoe needs one more hit to tie the school single-season record for hits with 91. If the senior gets 100 hits, he will be the first Commodore to do so and the 26th SEC player to get at least that many in one season. Most likely, he will become VUıs career and single-season batting average leader. If he hits at least .451 on the season, Bledsoe will be the first conference player to do since Dave Magadan (Alabama) in 1983.

Hitting Streak Summary
Many of VU's hit streaks were broken last weekend. Karl Nonemaker's career-high 12-game streak ended last Sunday against Alabama. Andy Kropf was also on a roll with a hit in the last nine games until he met the Tide. Aaron Fausett has the longest streak on the team at 17 games. It is the longest hitting streak for a Commodore this season, as he broke his own season-high of 16 games. Hunter Bledsoe follows with the second longest streak at 15 games.

Getting On Base
Aaron Fausett has now reached base safely (hit or walk) in all but one SEC game and has gotten at least one hit in 23 of 27 SEC games. Hunter Bledsoe has had a hit in 22 of 27 conference games (been on base in 25 of 27 games).

Record Book Watch
- Hunter Bledsoe is on pace to break the season and career batting average record and the season hits record.
- Matt Kata, who has 164 assists, needs 4 more to tie the school record (168) for assists in a season. This yearıs team has 590 assists and is making a run for the single-season record of 619 held by the 1995 team.
- Several players could make it into the top 10 for single-season marks: Bledsoe (average, hits, runs scored, doubles), Karl Nonemaker (average, hits, doubles), Mike Byrd (innings pitched, strikeouts).
- This year's team could have the most single-season stolen bases since 1995 (86), and have the least amount of strikeouts in a season since 1985 (303).

Strike'em Out
The VU pitching staff has totaled 406 strikeouts in 1999. If the Commodores strikeout three more batters this weekend, it will be the most Kıs Vanderbilt has had since the 1972 when VU fanned 415 batters. The school single season record is 440 held by the 1971 pitching staff.

The Byrd Man Is Top Hurler
RHP Mike Byrd leads the Vanderbilt pitching staff with a 3.65 ERA. As the No. 1 guy in VU's rotation, he owns a 4-6 record and has made 14 starts in 18 appearances. Byrd is one of four Commodores to record a save in 1999 and leads the team with 98.2 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts.

Summer Fun
Several Commodores will be playing baseball this summer. Here's a look at where they'll be:
- Cape Cod League - Andy Beal, Aaron Fausett, Andy Kropf, Mark Prior
- Atlantic Coast Baseball League - Drew Borland, Karl Nonemaker
- Great Lakes League - Kevin Geshke, Sean Luellwitz, Chris Maultsby, Stephen Prather
- New England Collegiate League - Clayton McCullough
- Atlanta Summer League - Scott Vanderhoff, David Wallace
- Clark Griffith Collegiate League - Jeff Little, Kyle Flubacker

Above .300
The Commodores are hoping to end the season with above .300 as a team in hitting. VU has improved its hitting over the last few weeks, as the Commodores were hitting in the high 200ıs most of April. Six Commodores are hitting above the .300 mark, Hunter Bledsoe (.459), Karl Nonemaker (.412), Aaron Fausett (.365), Sean Luellwitz (.331) and Andy Kropf (.317).

This Week In VU Baseball History
Here's a look at what has taken place May 10-16:
May 10, 1998 - Josh Adeeb hits a home run vs. Tennessee to tie teammate Clinton Johnston and Nick Morrow (1994) for the most single-season home runs.
May 12, 1980 - Vanderbilt hits 20 singles in its game against Ole Miss to break the school record. Charles DeFrance scored a school record five runs in the game.
May 12, 1994 - Boomer Whipple set a school record with five stolen bases against Western Kentucky.
May 15, 1959 - Vanderbilt commits a school record 14 errors in its game with Tennessee.

Home Run Figures
Vanderbilt now has 41 home runs this season. Leading the way is Hunter Bledsoe with 10. Aaron Fausett follows with seven. He is the only Commodore to hit two in one game, and in two straight at bats. Six freshman have hit their first career home runs this season, Karl Nonemaker, Fausett, Scott Vanderhoff, Mark Prior, Clayton McCullough, Aaron Diehl and Sean Luellwitz.

Empty Bases
The base pads have not been full when Vanderbilt has hit its home runs this season. Unfortunately, 25 of Vanderbiltıs 41 home runs have been solo shots.

1999 Season Notes
Team Notes.....
- In one of the hardest stadiums to play in, LSU's Alex Box Stadium, Vanderbilt was able to pick up an 11-2 win against the Tigers. The win broke a six-game losing streak for VU in Baton Rouge, and it was the first win there since May 5, 1991 when the Commodores won 11-6. Vanderbilt's 11 runs tied the most runs the Commodores have scored against the Tigers. The win was also the largest for the Commodores ever over the Tigers. The previous margin was a 9-2 victory in 1989.
- The Commodores were the first SEC team this season to stop the Arkansas Razorbacks from hitting a home run in a series. Vanderbilt also halted a 10-game SEC win streak for the Hogs two weeks ago and is the only SEC Eastern Division team to defeat Arkansas this season.
- Vanderbilt has met six ranked opponents this season. VU met Houston, Wake Forest, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn and Alabama, who were all ranked at the time VU played them.
- Vanderbilt's longest win streak of the season is seven games. The Commodores defeated Oklahoma, Tenn. Tech, Purdue (3 games), Belmont and West Virginia, respectively.
Player Notes.....
- Against Purdue, senior Hunter Bledsoe and junior Andy Kropf (4 and 5 spot in the line-up) teamed for back-to-back home runs off of two straight pitches. The last time two Commodores hit consecutive homers was in 1996 by Glenn Davis and Clinton Johnston (vs. Austin Peay).
- Vanderbilt recorded four double plays against Purdue (2/26) to tied the school record for double plays in a game. Last yearıs team also did it once.
- Senior Hunter Bledsoe had five walks to tie Vanderbilt's school record for walks in VU's against UT-Martin. Greg Smith (1985-88) was the last player to record five walks (vs. Alabama in 1986).
- Freshman Karl Nonemaker has the most hits in a game this season. He pounded out five hits in one game against both Georgia and LSU.

VU Boasts Three Freshman All-America Candidates
Three Vanderbilt freshmen, Aaron Fausett, Mark Prior and Karl Nonemaker, were listed as Freshman All-America Candidates in the latest issue of Baseball America. The magazine included a midseason update on who would earn All-America honors at this point. Fausett and Prior were listed on the first team, while Nonemaker was a second-team candidate. All three are having outstanding seasons. Fausett is hitting .366 and .352 in conference games, while Nonemaker is second on the team in batting average with a .412 mark. Prior, who was listed as a utility player, has a .263 batting average and a 4.59 ERA. He owns a 4-8 pitching record.

Minor League Updates
Hereıs the latest on VU's former players:
Clinton Johnston (Pittsburgh) - 1-0, 3.91 ERA
Bert Snow (Oakland) - 2-1, 8.65 ERA
Phil Haigler (Minnesota) - 3-1, 5.58
Tydus Meadows (Chi. Cubs) - .296, 5 HR, 22 RBI
Gabe Whatley (Atlanta) - .317, 4 HR, 11 RBI
Josh Paul (Chi. White Sox) - .307, 1 HR, 15 RBI
Glenn Davis (Los Angeles) - .296, 1 HR, 7 RBI

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