Baseball Begins Preseason Practice 1/14/03

The 2003 Vanderbilt Commodore baseball team began preseason practice today at Hawkins Field, 31 days prior to its season opener against Old Dominion, Feb. 14, in Charleston, S.C.

First-year head coach Tim Corbin will field a young team, that includes 15 newcomers, 19 underclassmen and one senior on its 26-player roster. Top returners include senior John Kaye, juniors Cesar Nicolas, Jonathan Douillard, Robert Ransom and Worth Scott and sophomores Jeremy Sowers and Tony Mansolino.

Freshman shortstop/outfielder Warner Jones from Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville and freshman right-hander Jensen Lewis from Anderson High School in Cincinnati rank among the Commodores top newcomers. Jones and Lewis were both named the top baseball players in their home states. First-year players with Tennessee ties include freshman catcher Matt McGraner (Germantown), freshman right-hander Blake Owen (Cross Plains), freshman left-hander Ryan Mullins (Nashville) and freshman right-hander Nick Pilkington (Brighton).

Four players on the roster transferred to Vanderbilt from others schools, including shortstop Ryan Klosterman (Clemson), outfielder Ryan Godfrey (Cypress Community College), Gil Kim (Middlebury College) and Mickey Kropf (Harvard). Kim and Kropf joined the Vanderbilt team at the start of the 2003 spring semester.

The Commodores will practice every day of the week except Mondays. The squad will train from 3-6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. Saturday practices begin at 10 a.m., while Sunday sessions start at 1 p.m.

Current and Former Commodore Coaches To Appear at Old-Timers Baseball Association Banquet This Friday

Current Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin and former skipper Roy Mewbourne will appear at the 65th annual Banquet of the Old Timers Baseball Association Friday, Jan. 17, at Maxwell House Hotel.

Corbin is the featured speaker at the banquet. Mewbourne will be honored for his 24-year service to Vanderbilt and 30-year coaching career.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner beginning at 6:15 p.m. Corbin’s speech and other ceremonies will follow the dinner. Tickets are $25 per person. To purchase tickets please call either Doris Stevens at Nashville Sporting Goods at 259-4241 or call the Nashville Sounds at 242-4371.

- VU -