WEEK 1: Vanderbilt Commodores (0-0, 0-0)

Game #1 - vs. UT-Martin (0-3, 0-0), Saturday, Feb. 13, 1999, 1 p.m. CT
Game #2 - vs. Belmont (0-0, 0-0), Sunday, Feb. 14, 1999, 1 p.m. CT

BASEBALL HOMEPAGE

The Series
UT-Martin--VU leads the series with the Skyhawks, 2-1. In the last meeting, the Commodores pulled out a 8-3 victory at home in 1997. The first meeting between the two teams was in 1993. Vanderbilt defeated UT-Martin at home 11-5.
Belmont--The Commodores lead the all-time series with Belmont, 30-6, and shutout the Bruins 11-0 in their season opener last year. The teams first met in 1968 when VU won 9-6. The Commodores have won 13 straight against the Bruins.

The Coaches
Vanderbilt‹Roy Mewbourne begins his 21st season at Vanderbilt (564-481-9) and his 27th season overall as a head coach (831-555-9). He is 2-1 vs. UT-Martin and 17-2 against Belmont.
UT-Martin‹-Head coach Bubba Cates begins his first season with UT-Martin and as a Div. I head coach.
Belmont‹-Dave Jarvis is in his second year at Belmont and owns a 23-21-1 record. He begins his 11th season as a head coach with a 347-173-1 overall coaching record.

Scouting the Skyhawks and Bruins
The UT-Martin Skyhawks enter the weekend with a 0-3 record. They dropped three games to Arkansas-Little Rock last weekend, 11-8, 5-1, and 18-10. Last season UT-Martin was 15-31, and 6-18 in OVC play.
The Belmont Bruins begin their season on Saturday against Belarmine in a double header before meeting the Commodores on Sunday. The Bruins owned a 23-21-1 record in 1998.

Radio/TV
This weekend's games will not be on radio or TV.

Probable Pitching Rotation
Vanderbilt Commodores
Saturday-36 Mike Byrd (RHP, Jr.), '98 Stats (1-1, 12.16 ERA, 29K, 27BB)
Sunday-21 Mark Prior (RHP, Fr.), '98 Stats (None, first career appearance)

Probable Commodore Starting Lineup
Pos. No. Name Yr. '98 Stats
C 22 Andy Kropf Jr. .248, 4HR, 36 RBI
1B 44 Hunter Bledsoe Sr. .389, 6 HR, 49 RBI, 10 SB (Œ97 Stats)
2B 8 Scott Vanderhoff Fr. First Appearance
SS 17 Matt Kata Jr. .300, 19 2B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 18 SB
3B 9 Aaron Diehl Fr. First Appearance
RF 23 Aaron Fausett Fr. First Appearance
CF 5 Karl Nonemaker Fr. First Appearance
LF 7 Kevin Geshke So. .185, 5 RBI
DH 21 Mark Prior Fr. First Appearance

Last Season at A Glance
Roy Mewbourne celebrated 20 years as the Commodores head coach in 1998. After being ranked 32nd in the preseason Baseball America poll, Vanderbilt finished the season with a 25-28 overall record. In conference play, VU owned a 6-24 record after facing some of the toughest teams in the nation and placed sixth in the SEC Eastern Division.

Young Guns
The Commodores' starting lineup will most likely consist of four to five freshmen. Freshmen Aaron Fausett and Karl Nonemaker will be in the outfield, while Aaron Diehl (3B) and Scott Vanderhoff (2B) are new additions to the infield. Mark Prior will most likely be in the DH spot when he's not pitching. Also look for Sean Luellwitz (1B) and Clayton McCullough (C) to make starting appearances this season.

Recruiting Class Ranked 16th In the Nation
The Commodores' 1998 recruiting class (made up of this year's freshman class) was ranked 16th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Vanderbilt landed an extremely strong recruiting class headed by three players, RHP/1B Mark Prior, OF Aaron Fausett and C Clayton McCullough, that were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft held last June. Vanderbilt had 10 recruits, all true freshmen, that factored into the poll.
Eight Southeastern Conference baseball programs were ranked in the nation's Top 30, with Vanderbilt being the fifth best. Florida ranked as the SEC's best in third place overall in the poll. The newspaper picked Georgia Tech's recruiting class as the nation's best.
"We are extremely fortunate to hang on to the players that were drafted last June," said assistant coach Ross Jones, who is in charge of recruiting. "The quality and depth of this class is very strong and we are proud that all the signees were high school players. We were the only school in the Top 30 that didn¹t have junior college players or transfers from other schools. This class will make major contributions right away, and although we show our youth this season, it will pay off in the next few seasons."

Preseason Honors
Baseball America honored two Commodore baseball players, Mark Prior and Matt Kata, in its college preview issue.
Prior, a 6-5, freshman right-hander, was picked as a first-team Pre-Season Freshman All-American by the publication. As one of the nation¹s top newcomers, he was also predicted to be the SEC Freshman of the Year. Prior, who was selected as a first-round draft pick out of high school, will serve as the Commodores¹ designated hitter when he¹s not in the pitching rotation this year.
Kata, a junior shortstop for Vanderbilt, was voted as having the best infield arm in the Southeastern Conference by Baseball America.
The Commodores were ranked 90th in the nation by the publication.

Non-Conference Games
Vanderbilt opens the season this weekend with two non-conference opponents. Last season the Commodores went 19-4 vs. non-conference teams. VU faces a tougher campaign this year with ranked teams such as Baylor, Houston and Wake Forest. The Commodores will take on Baylor and Houston next weekend, Feb. 19-21 at Houston.

VU Picked 6th in the East
In this year's SEC Coaches' Poll, Vanderbilt was picked to finish sixth in the Eastern Division. The Florida Gators were voted No. 1 in the East and overall champions, while LSU was picked to top the Western Division.

In the Hunt
Senior Hunter Bledsoe returns after missing the 1998 season. He is expected to play a variety of positions this year, including first base, third base and even the outfield. He has the best batting average on the team in 1997 (.389). "The great thing about Bledsoe is that he can play a number of positions," states Mewbourne. "He's a true athlete."

Start It Off Right
VU hopes to start the season the same way they did last year. The Commodores began the 1998 season at 10-0 an had its best start in school history. VU also tied a school record with 12 consecutive home victories in its opening stretch.

Tough Competition
As always the SEC fields some tough competition. As of today, the Commodores will face 10 ranked opponents this year. Seven of those teams are in the SEC. VU meets its first ranked opponent, Baylor, on Feb. 19 in the Houston Tournament.

High School Stars
Five members of the Commodore baseball team were drafted out of high school. Junior Matt Kata was picked by Minnesota (20th round) and Baltimore selected Andy Beal (33rd round). Three freshmen were picked last summer in the draft - Mark Prior by the New York Yankees (1st round), Aaron Fausett by Kansas City (19th round), and Clayton McCullough by Seattle (47th round).

Two-sport stars
Four players on this year's squad are also members of the Vanderbilt football team. OF Alvin Duke is a punt returner, but tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season. Duke was ranked in the Top 50 in NCAA punt returns until he was injured. C David Wallace was a starting quarterback in six games for Vanderbilt this past fall. Also members of the team are OF/RHP Dan Stricker (wide receiver) and OF Adam Ditto (wide receiver). Ditto made 11 catches for 163 yards with two touchdowns.

Successful Summer
Catcher Andy Kropf spent his summer playing for Cotuit Kettlers in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He was the starting catcher in the league¹s all-star game. Also playing in the Cape Cod League were Matt Kata (Chatham Athletics) and Andy Beal (Bourne Braves). Other Commodores who played ball this summer were Mike Byrd (North Woods League- Rochester, Minn.), Kevin Geshke (Coastal Plains League - Wilmington, N.C.), Drew Borland (Ohio Warhawks), and Stephen Prather (Atlanta College Summer League - East Cobb Yankees).

Record books
Some Commodores could move up in VU's record book. Hunter Bledsoe batted .389 in 1997. If he regains his form he could vie for a position on VU's career batting average list. Matt Kata is also in the running to move into the Top 10 for career at bats and runs scored. Kata is already tied for fifth in career saves with six and should move up even further on the list. Above him are David Daniels (1992-95 with 15), Clinton Johnston (1996-98 with 10), Wayne Palmore (1972-74 with 8), and Ted Govedarcia (1975-78 with 7).

Commodores On TV
Three Vanderbilt baseball games will be televised in the 1999 season. WNAB-TV, Channel 58 will broadcast games at home against Florida (May 2) and Tennessee (May 14). FOX Sports South will air the Commodores' game on the road against South Carolina (March 27).

On to the Next Level
Five players from last season, two senior and three juniors, concluded their college careers with the Commodores and headed on to the next level. All-American Clinton Johnston was taken as the 15th pick in the first round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Also taken were Bert Snow (10th round, Oakland), Josh Adeeb (24th round, Boston) and Tydus Meadows (27th round, Chicago). Paul Seybt signed as a free agent with Boston.

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