commodore nation, february 2013

February 2013

SPRING PREVIEW

Baseball LacrosseTennis Track & Field

ALSO INSIDE:Corbin’s coaching staff

Schrann’s success

Odom on Seinfeld

With Mobile Banking, you can bank the way that’s most convenient for you.

• Download the U.S. Bank Mobile app (available on iPad®, iPhone®, Android™ or BlackBerry®)

• Visit to usbank.com from your phone’s mobile browser

• Bank via text message from any mobile phone with Text Banking

At home, on the go, from your tablet or phone, U.S. Bank Mobile Banking is the simple and secure way to manage your money the way that works for you.

• Deposit checks by snapping a photo with DepositPoint™1

• Pay bills conveniently from the palm of your hands

• Pay another person simply with just an email or mobile phone number

• Receive customizable account alerts via text or email

• Locate a branch or ATM, or click to call us directly

• Instant access to account information with Text Banking2

U.S. Bank Mobile Banking

Bank on your schedule and your terms

Learn more at usbank.com/mobile

Freedom in banking

usbank.com/mobile U.S. Bank Mobile800.872.2657

Deposit products offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC

Proud Sponsor of Vanderbilt Athletics

1. To be eligible for DepositPoint, you must have an open U.S. Bank Checking/Savings Account with no more than two returned deposit items in the past three months and be an active Online Banking user. There is a $0.50 fee per deposited item. 2. You may be charged access fees by your carrier, dependent upon your personal plan. Web access is needed to use Mobile Banking. Check with your carrier for details on specific fees and charges. Deposit products offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC

C O M M O D O R E NAT I O N 1vucommodores.com

My game

P.24

Basketball’s Rod Odom.

BaseballP.15

Senior Mike Yastrzemski is one of the cornerstones of Head Coach Tim Corbin’s Commodore baseball team, which was chosen as the third-ranked team in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll. Kady

Schrann

P.18

Sophomore embraces role.

Baseball Q&AP.17

Meet Corbin’s new assistant coaches.

Men’s TennisP.12

Local product returns for Duvenhage’s Commodores.

Compliance CornerP.2

National Commodore Club

P.3

Inside McGugin

P.7

Rod Williamson’s monthly column.

It’s my turn

P.23

CONTENTS

Track and Field P.9

Growth of Keith’s group paced by junior jumper.

SPRING PREVIEW

LacrosseP.11

Senior goalkeeper key for Swezey’s team.

Women’s TennisP.13

Sophomore helps lead Macdonald’s young squad.

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 32

Editorial

Publisher: Vanderbilt University

Editor-in-Chief: Chris Weinman

Designer: Jeremy Teaford Director of Communications: Rod Williamson

Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner

VU Photography: Daniel Dubois Steve Green Lauren Holland Joe Howell Anne Rayner John Russell Susan Urmy

Contributors: Brandon Barca Andy Boggs Larry Leathers George Midgett Kyle Parkinson Weston Pletcher Emily Sane Michael Scholl Ryan Schulz Eric Single

Administrative

Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos

Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II

Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Beth Fortune

Vanderbilt University Student Athletics’ Mission StatementWe prepare student-athletes to become leaders and cham-pions in life by placing the highest values on integrity, char-acter, sportsmanship and victory.

Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action university.

ON THE COVER: Right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede will be an integral part of the Commodores’ rotation this season. Photo by John Russell, VU Photography.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212.

SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe, contact Chris Weinman by e-mail at [email protected]

ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt IMG Sports & Entertainment Properties.Jeff Miller, general manager 615/322-4468; [email protected]

Commodore Nation is printed using (10% post-consumer) recycled paper.

C O M P L I A N C E

CORNERThe Vanderbilt Athletic Compliance Office would like to thank everyone who reads Compliance Corner. We’re glad to be a resource for you. In order to better serve you, we’d like to extend the opportunity for you to submit topics to be covered in this section.

Please contact us by email at [email protected] or on our Twitter or Facebook pages. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you again for your time, and GO ’DORES!

Follow Vanderbilt Compliance@VandyCompliance

Like Vanderbilt Compliancefacebook.com/VandyCompliance

Connect with the Commodores

http://vucommodores.com

facebook.com/vucommodores

twitter.com/vucommodores

youtube.com/vucommodores

@vucommodores on instagram

Compliance questions? Please contact:

Candice Lee George MidgettDirector of Compliance Compliance Coordinator615/322-7992 615/[email protected] [email protected]

John Peach Andrew TurnerCompliance Coordinator Recruiting/Compliance Coordinator615/343-1060 615/[email protected] [email protected]

Giving Levels and Benefits

$150$2,500

$500$5,000

Some benefits include a parking pass, T-shirt, practice invitation and dinner with Coach Balcomb.Benefits vary by level.

NCC Hoops Crew(615) 322-4114

[email protected]

Be a part

Support Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball by joiningthe NCC Hoops Crew. The NCC Hoops Crew unites fans of Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball to support the continuing growth of the program. Crew members have the opportunity to become involved with a host of women’s basketball-related activities through seven giving levels.

of the crew

$50$1,000 $10,000 and above

Thank you for cheering on the Commodores to a 38-24 victory over the NC State Wolfpack at the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. You helped us fill Nashville with black and gold during the finals days of 2012 at our bowl events and bowl game. Vanderbilt players, coaches and administrators could not be more grateful for your enthusiastic support.

Vanderbilt alumni and fans filled the Dec. 30 Bowl Kickoff Celebration at Wildhorse Saloon and Dec. 31 Commodore Tailgate at LP Field. Thanks again for your support.

ANCHOR DOWN for the 2013 season!

2012HIGHNOTE

seasonon atheFinishing

Bowl Kickoff CelebrationBowl Kickoff Celebration

Franklin American MortgageMusic City Bowl

Commodore Tailgate

Commodore Tailgate

Commodore Tailgate Commodore Tailgate

Commodore Tailgate

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 36

APPLIANCES PLUMBING FIXTURES LIGHTINGPASSIONATE PEOPLE

FERGUSON.COM

Murfreesboro: 540 New Salem Rd (615) 890-5599

Nashville: 3201-B Powell Ave (615) 385-3054

Lebanon: 713 E Main St (615) 444-2111

Clarksville: 1369 Ashland City Rd (931) 647-0276

©2011 Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Let us orchestrate your dream.For the perfect products for your kitchen or bath, stop by a Ferguson showroom.

It’s where you’ll fi nd the largest range of quality brands, a symphony

of ideas, and trained consultants to help orchestrate your dream.

With showrooms from coast to coast, come see why Ferguson is

recommended by professional contractors and designers everywhere.


Inside McGugin

Notes from the athletic department

N ational Signing Day is Feb. 6 (vucom-modores.com/signingday), but the Commodore football team already

received a major commitment when junior wide receiver Jordan Matthews decided to forgo his opportunity to enter the NFL Draft and return for his senior season. Matthews established a new Vanderbilt record with 1,323 receiving yards in 2012, and his 94-reception total was just four shy of breaking the team and SEC records set by former Commodore Keith Edwards in 1983.

l Vanderbilt is once again accepting nomina-tions for our Athletic Hall of Fame. Nominations are due by March 15 if you want your favorite Commodore to be considered. Log on to vucommodores.com and check out the “Hall of Fame” link under the “Athletics” tab to view the 40 individuals already inducted and the criteria for nomination. The Class of 2013 will be announced sometime in early summer, with Hall of Fame Weekend coming for our Austin Peay football game in early September.

l Two former Commodores earned spots on Team USA 2013 at last month’s USBC (United States Bowling Congress) Team USA Trials. Assistant coach Josie Earnest advanced to the event’s semifinals before finishing third to guarantee a spot on the squad. Brittni Hamilton, a 2012 graduate, was an at-large selection. Team USA’s first competition of the 2013 schedule will be in the first week of August at the Tournament of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. n

Matthews with parents, Brenda and Roderick.

Feb. 24Lacrosse vs. NorthwesternHead Coach Cathy Swezey’s Commodores open the 2013 season on Feb. 3 at Jacksonville and play host to games against Kennesaw State and Denver after that. But their 2013 American Lacrosse Conference slate does not start until a pivotal match against defending national champion Northwestern (1 p.m.) on a busy day in Nashville—men’s tennis, baseball and women’s basketball also host events.

Calendar

February highlights

By The Numbers

5Commodore runners who placed in the Top 10 of the 3,000-meter race at the 2013 University of Kentucky Invitational.

26 teams in this May’s NCAA women’s lacrosse championship, signifying the first expansion to the bracket since the field grew from 12 to 16 teams for the 2001 tournament.

65 years since the Commodore football team ended the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Last year’s squad earned a ranking of No. 23 from the writers, while national coaches picked VU at No. 20.

2,462 career snaps played by offensive lineman Wesley Johnson, who has started for three seasons without being called for a holding penalty.

Feb. 10Women’s basketball vs. KentuckyThe women’s basketball team will host its annual PINK OUT to raise awareness of breast cancer on Sunday, Feb. 10, when Kentucky visits Memorial Gymnasium (3 p.m.). All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The game also has been designated as Girl Scout Day and will include a pre-game Kids Zone, which opens 90 minutes before tip-off.

Feb. 15Baseball vs. Long Beach StateThe baseball team’s 56-game regular season schedule begins on Feb. 15 when the ‘Dores open a three-game series at home against Long Beach State (4 p.m.). Vanderbilt will play its first 14 games in Nashville (including a February 19 matchup at Belmont) before heading to the west coast in early March to face Oregon.

Feb. 13Men’s basketball vs. TennesseeThe Commodores and Vols will play twice in a 15-day span, with the Commodores hosting the second leg of the home-and-home series. The Feb. 13 matchup will take place in the middle of a full week at Memo-rial Gym, which plays host to five games in eight days between the men’s and women’s teams. Scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip, the game will be carried by the SEC Network.

JOH

N R

USS

ELL

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 38


SPRING PREVIEWTrack and Field

Brionne Williams

J unior high jumper Brionne Williams has shown steady improvement every year as a Commodore.

As a freshman, she qualified for the NCAA East Prelims and cleared 1.75 meters. As a sophomore, the Hoover, Ala., native again qualified for the NCAA Preliminary round while clearing 1.79 meters, the second-highest jump ever by a Vanderbilt athlete.

That history is why Head Coach Steve Keith expects Williams to have an even more impressive 2013 season.

“She’s had a steady progression every year,” Keith said. “She’s now at a national level, which is what you want for all your kids.”

Williams got off to a solid start, clearing 1.82 meters (5 feet, 11.5 inches) for a new personal record at the Kentucky Invitational, the first meet of 2013. Her jump also places her among the top 10 nationally in the high jump.

“The simplest way to put it is scoring at the conference (meet) and getting to nationals,” Keith explained. “The conference is super-competitive, but if you want to be the best you have to compete against the best.”

Williams’ path through the indoor season sees just five meets before the SEC Indoor Championships are hosted by Arkansas Feb. 22-24. That could be followed by a Last Chance meet before the top 16 high jumpers in the nation will head back to Fayette-ville for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“The consistency is what is going to help,” Keith says. “Her resume will break the ties, so that’s what we’re looking for over the next few weeks (of indoors).”

In addition to her athletic performances, Keith is also proud of the leadership and determination Williams has shown for the still-developing Vanderbilt track program.

“She’s a quiet leader, but she’s driven by some pretty high goals and expectations of her own,” Keith said. n

Steve Keith has trouble selecting just one freshman from his group of eight that could have an impact this season.

“I can think of several who could score well at the conference (meet),” Keith explained. “Recruiting has been good, which makes it harder to single one out.”

At middle distance, Lily Williams enters with a mile time of 4:42.79, while Sara Bar-

ron was a Michigan state champion in the 800 and 1600 meters. There is also a trio of freshmen in Faith Washington, Skyler Carpen-

ter and Jennifer Cannon, who bring several prep state titles to the hurdles. Cannon will also compete in the multi-events and was sixth nationally as a high school senior in the heptathlon.

“If you look at that freshman class, they have set no limitations on themselves. They come in and say ‘Why not me?’” Keith says.

Lily Williams

On Feb. 1-2, Vanderbilt will be one of more than 100 col-legiate teams to participate in the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York City. The meet is at uptown Man-hattan’s Armory Foundation, which since its opening in 1909 has had several uses, including as one of the top indoor track and field facili-ties since 1993.

Noteworthy

“A class like this changes the culture.”—Steve Keith

on his freshman class of Sara Barron, Jennifer Cannon, Skyler Carpenter, Grace Corbett, Marika Crowe, Vanessa Valentine,

Faith Washington and Lily Williams

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 310

www.abraauto.com1-888-USA-ABRA • 1-888-872-2272

Right the First Time...On Time.™

®

are now

Full-Service Collision Repair

Auto Glass Repair & Replacement

Five Convenient Locations in the Nashville Area... Over 125 Nationwide

America’s Most Recommended


SPRING PREVIEWLacrosse

Chelsea Pasfield

W hile the 2013 Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team will be known as a young squad, fans will see a number of familiar faces in the Commodores’ defensive third.

Vanderbilt returns three starters on defense—senior Paige Cahill and junior captains Brandi Byner and Alyssa Dunlap.

Behind that defense is another familiar face — senior captain Chelsea Pasfield. In her first three seasons as a Commodore goal-keeper, Pasfield has played in 21 games and earned nine starts. Head Coach Cathy Swezey expects big things in the Alexandria, Va., native’s final season in black and gold.

“Chelsea is a pleasure to coach because she’s one of the most level-headed goalies I’ve ever been around,” Swezey said. “She doesn’t get overly emotional, doesn’t get down on herself when she’s scored on. She’s so solid and confident that I think she’s going to be a really capable leader for us.

“She’s had plenty of starting opportunities where she has outplayed Natalie [Wills] in the past and earned the opportunity to start,” Swezey said. “And we anticipate that now that it’s her year, she’s really going to take off. We think good things are going to happen.”

Pasfield will be backed up by sophomore Maddie Kratz, who made four saves in the 12 minutes of action she saw against Pres-byterian last spring.

“She’s talented, too,” Swezey said. “Chelsea was sick for a run-through recently, and Maddie had to take all the shots in practice, and she was phenomenal. They get along well, but they’re ready to push and compete, as well. I think it’s a good combination. If anything were to happen to Chelsea, or if she were having an off day, I know Maddie could step up.” n

Among the nine seniors who graduated last spring, the hole left behind by Ally Carey will undoubtedly be the hardest to fill. Carey led the Commodores in points, goals, draw controls and caused turnovers last season, and she is the school’s career leader in draw controls and ground balls.

Replacing Carey in the center circle was one of coach Swezey’s biggest objectives

this offseason. Coming into spring practice, Swezey planned to utilize a freshman on draws—Salisbury, Md., native Kelly Chandler.

“She’s a very strong kid who can go up and get any ball,” Swezey said. “She probably had the best performance in terms of taking the draw [during fall training]. And then on the circle, you just need good stick kids … kids who are willing to block out a little bit.”

Part of VU’s lauded 10-member freshman class that includes four 2012 US Lacrosse Girls’ High School All-Americans, Chandler was a four-year starter for Episcopal (Alexandria, Va.) High School.

Kelly Chandler

The 2013 Commodores return less than one-quarter of their offensive output from last season (62 of 253 points), but the attack should get a boost when senior Courtney Kirk steps back onto the field. The Bal-timore native redshirted last year after leading the 2011 squad with 53 points.

Noteworthy

“While we’re a young team, I think there’s a lot to be excited about. We have a team that is fully committed. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team lift and run as hard as they did in our fall season. We are probably more fit than we have been in years. I think good things are on the horizon.”

— Cathy Swezey

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 312

SPRING PREVIEWMen’s Tennis

Ryan Lipman

A fter missing all of his junior season due to injury, Ryan Lipman is more than ready for the spring tennis season to get started. The redshirt junior has been one of the

SEC’s top players ever since he stepped on a Vanderbilt court.In 2010, Lipman was named to the All-SEC First Team and SEC

All-Freshman Team, while also earning Ohio Valley Rookie of the Year and SEC Co-Freshman of the Year honors. No Vanderbilt player had ever received those accolades as a freshman before Lipman. As a sophomore, he once again was recognized as a First Team All-SEC member.

This year’s team will go as far as Lipman leads them. He is the oldest player on a team that features eight freshmen and sophomores. Lipman carries a career singles record of 57-29 with every intention of helping lead the team to an SEC title.

Even without playing a single match last season, Lipman took advantage of the opportunity to see the game from a different perspective. That perspective helped him become the team leader of a squad that is full of youth.

So far his redshirt-junior campaign is off to a promising start. The Nashville native won the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional in October to earn an automatic bid to the ITA National Indoor Tournament, which was in New York. Even though he lost his first-round match in New York, the experience gave him ample confidence as the most important season is set to begin.

Lipman finished the fall season with a 10-4 record in singles play and 3-3 in doubles play.

He began the spring season ranked No. 17 in the ITA National Singles Rankings—the highest preseason ranking of his career after being ranked No. 29 in 2011 and No. 43 in 2012. n

Head Coach Ian Duvenhage added another talented member to his squad for the spring season when Marc van der Merwe arrived in time for the semester. The Stellenbosch, South Africa, native stands at an impressive 6’3” and oozes athletic potential.

To fully understand van der Merwe’s athleti-cism, one need look no further than his other sporting endeavors: when not on the tennis

court, van der Merwe was an avid surfer and played rugby all the way through high school.

His high school’s (Paul Roos Gymnasium) calendar year ends in December, which is why van der Merwe arrived on West End in time to begin the second semester at Vanderbilt.

The son of a former Auburn tennis player, van der Merwe comes from a tennis background. It didn’t take long for Marc to get his first victory at VU—he won his first collegiate match within two and a half weeks of arriving on campus.

His match win at No. 4 singles versus Butler sealed the victory for Vanderbilt in the season-opening dual.

Marc van der Merwe

Head Coach Ian Duvenhage is the dean of SEC men’s tennis coaches, with 28 years of head coaching experience on his resume. Before coming to Vander-bilt in 2005, he had coached the Florida men’s team and the Miami women’s team for a total of 20 seasons.

Noteworthy

“I am so excited about this team. Our top two players are ranked in the top 20 in the nation, and while the rest of our team are all either freshmen or sophomores, they are highly motivated and they work very hard. I think this will be a great team.”

— Ian Duvenhage


SPRING PREVIEWWomen’s Tennis

Marie Casares

A s another tennis season kicks into full gear, the Vander-bilt women will look to a sophomore to help lead the team toward another NCAA Tournament appearance.

Having only one season of collegiate competition under her belt, Marie Casares looks primed to have a breakout season for the Commodores in 2013. The Quito, Ecuador, native has already shown that she can compete with the top talent in the SEC.

During her freshman campaign, Casares put together a 23-9 singles record, including a 9-2 mark in SEC play. She spent a majority of her freshman season playing in the No. 3 spot, but look for her to be one of the top players this season for Head Coach Geoff Macdonald.

It is clear that Casares plays like a savvy veteran, even though she is still learning the ins and outs of the collegiate game. Mac-donald has often praised her work ethic and preparation before and after matches.

A key ingredient to an athlete’s success that is often overlooked is how they take care of their body. Macdonald has compared Casares’ pre-match and post-match routines and tendencies to that of a pro tennis player.

The 2012 Second Team All-SEC honoree finished the fall season with a 6-3 singles record, but her play in doubles also excited her coach and teammates. Casares paired up with Ashleigh Antal to put together an 8-2 record for the fall.

Casares and Antal made an appearance in the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional Doubles Championship in West Lafayette, Ind., where they fell to one of the top doubles teams in the country.

Casares enters the spring season ranked No. 91 in the ITA National Singles Rankings. n

With only one semester of collegiate tennis behind her, Courtney Colton has already made an impression on the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team. The Davie, Fla., native finished the fall season with an impressive 8-2 singles record.

In her first collegiate tournament, the Roberta Alison Fall Classic, Colton won all three of her singles matches in straight sets.

Her three opponents were from SEC schools: Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Auburn.

In doubles, Colton split time with teammates Maggie Leavell and Lauren Mira, in which she went a combined 7-3 during the fall.

Colton will look to carry over her fantastic play into the heart of the SEC season, which boasts some of the top players in the country. Based on the way she has already competed through the first part of the season, the spring should present her with ample opportunities to continue her success.

Courtney Colton

Under Head Coach Geoff Macdonald, the Commodores have finished no lower than No. 16 in 14 of the past 15 years, including a school record No. 2 ranking at the end of the 2004 season.

Noteworthy

“I feel like we’re in a pretty good place. We’re conditioning well, the freshmen are adjusting, so I feel good where we are as a team. I think the team is learning more on concentrating and focusing. They are learning more about the competitive, tenacious mentality you need to have to play at this level. The practice sets have been the best we’ve had here in years.”

— Geoff Macdonald

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 314

SPRING PREVIEW

Just like Vanderbilt fans, we at PPG Porter Paints® haVe a lot of PRIDE IN OUR TEAM.

Visit your neighborhood PPG Porter Paints store to talk with our paint experts about:

• Choosing the perfect paint for your project

• Environmentally friendly paints

• Precise color matching

• Color consultations

• And more!

The ultimate home advantage since 1921.

PRIDE IN OUR TEAM

73786 PPG Vanderbilt ad.indd 1 2/8/12 5:14 PM

FEBRUARY1 Men’s Tennis MTSU 2 p.m.2 Men’s Tennis Tulane 12 p.m.2 Swimming AR-Little Rock 1 p.m.2 Men’s Basketball Alabama 3 p.m.3 Women’s Basketball Ole Miss 2 p.m.9 Men’s Basketball Arkansas 12:30 p.m.10 Lacrosse Kennesaw St. 1 p.m.10 Women’s Basketball Kentucky 3 p.m.13 Men’s Basketball Tennessee 7 p.m.14 Women’s Basketball Missouri 7 p.m.15 Men’s Tennis Memphis 2 p.m.15 Baseball Long Beach St. 4 p.m.16 Lacrosse Denver 1 p.m.16 Baseball Long Beach St. 2 p.m.16 Men’s Basketball Texas A&M 5:30 p.m.17 Baseball Long Beach St. 1 p.m.20 Baseball Central AR 4 p.m.22 Baseball Monmouth N.J. 4 p.m.23 Baseball Monmouth N.J. 2 p.m.24 Men’s Tennis Indiana 12 p.m.24 Baseball Monmouth N.J. 1 p.m.24 Lacrosse Northwestern 1 p.m.24 Women’s Basketball Texas A&M 4 p.m.26 Baseball Arkansas St. 4 p.m.27 Women’s Tennis Memphis 3 p.m.27 Baseball Evansville 4 p.m.27 Men’s Basketball Georgia 8 p.m.28 Women’s Basketball Auburn 8 p.m.

MARCH 1 Men’s Tennis LSU 2 p.m.1 Baseball UIC 4 p.m.2 Baseball UIC 2 p.m.3 Men’s Tennis Arkansas 12 p.m.3 Baseball UIC 1 p.m.5 Baseball Eastern Illinois 4 p.m.8 Women’s Tennis vs. Texas A&M 4 p.m.9 Men’s Basketball South Carolina 12:30 p.m.10 Women’s Tennis Missouri 1 p.m.13 Lacrosse Notre Dame 3 p.m.13 Baseball Buffalo 4 p.m.15 Bowling Columbia 300 Music City Classic 15 Women’s Tennis Mississippi State 4 p.m.16 Bowling Columbia 300 Music City Classic 17 Bowling Columbia 300 Music City Classic 17 Women’s Tennis Ole Miss 1 p.m.22 Track & Field Black & Gold 22 Men’s Tennis Georgia 2 p.m.22 Baseball Florida 6:30 p.m.23 Track & Field Black & Gold 23 Baseball Florida 2 p.m.24 Baseball Florida 12 p.m.26 Lacrosse Stanford 3 p.m.26 Baseball Lipscomb 6:30 p.m.29 Men’s Tennis Auburn 2 p.m.29 Baseball Tennessee 6:30 p.m.30 Baseball Tennessee 2 p.m.31 Men’s Tennis Alabama 12 p.m.31 Baseball Tennessee 1 p.m.

APRIL 1 Lacrosse Harvard 2 p.m.2 Baseball MTSU 6:30 p.m.6 Men’s Tennis Kentucky 2 p.m.9 Baseball UT-Martin 6:30 p.m.12 Women’s Tennis South Carolina 4 p.m.12 Baseball Missouri 6:30 p.m.13 Baseball Missouri 2 p.m.14 Baseball Missouri 1 p.m.14 Lacrosse Florida 1 p.m.14 Women’s Tennis Florida 1 p.m.16 Baseball Tennessee Tech 6:30 p.m.19 Track & Field Vanderbilt Invitational 20 Lacrosse North Carolina 12 p.m.20 Track & Field Vanderbilt Invitational 26 Baseball Mississippi St. 6:30 p.m.27 Baseball Mississippi St. 2 p.m.28 Baseball Mississippi St. 1 p.m.

MAY 8 Baseball Presbyterian 6:30 p.m.14 Baseball Belmont 6:30 p.m.16 Baseball Alabama 6:30 p.m.17 Baseball Alabama 6:30 p.m.18 Baseball Alabama 1 p.m.

Spring 2013 Home Events


SPRING PREVIEWBaseball

Mike Yastrzemski

T he 2013 Vanderbilt Commodores look a lot like the 2012 Commodores, but with one major difference: experience. A year ago the ‘Dores had an abundance of new faces,

with 23 of the team’s 33 players registering as underclassmen. This season they bring back a total of 23 lettermen, including 10 players who started at least 10 games in 2012. The Commodores lost three pitchers to the draft (Sam Selman, Drew VerHagen and Will Clinard) and one of the best offensive players in Vanderbilt history in Anthony Gomez, but they have the depth to absorb the losses. Every position on the field and spot in the starting rotation returns at least one player with starting experience.

“I like our group … we will be very competitive,” Head Coach Tim Corbin said. “We are a mix of strong senior leadership, with experi-enced juniors and sophomores and a group of mature freshmen.”

Extremely talented freshmen and sophomore classes join a very experienced junior class, featuring preseason All-Americans Conrad Gregor, Tony Kemp and Spencer Navin. However, unlike last season the roster features prominent seniors in Mike Yastr-zemski and Connor Harrell. Yastrzemski and Harrell turned down professional contracts to return to West End for one more run with the ‘Dores. Fifth-year seniors Andrew Harris and Jack Lupo add to the team’s leadership core.

“We were very fortunate to return Yaz, Connor, Andrew and Jack for their final years,” Corbin says. “Those are four kids that could have signed or graduated. We also were able to keep most of our freshman class … this has enabled us to build quality depth in all four areas on the field. We will move one step at a time and see how far this group can bring us.” n

When discussing his wealth of experience in the outfield, Corbin singled out a fresh-man from Mansfield, Mass., who opted to become a Commodore instead of signing with the Chicago Cubs organization.

“I like the development of Rhett Wise-man … we will need to get him some play-ing time to help his development, as well.”

The Commodores’ 2013 freshman class is the second of back-to-back, top-ranked recruiting classes for Head Coach Tim Corbin. Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America tabbed this year’s 11-man group as the nation’s consensus top class, with seven of the 11 members turning down professional ball to come to Vanderbilt.

The entire Commodore roster is flush with talent. Eighteen play-ers have been drafted, either prior to their freshman year or after their junior campaigns (or in the case of Yastrzemski, twice), the most on any college roster in the country.

Rhett Wiseman

Senior Mike Yastrzemski turned down a professional contract from the Seattle Mariners last summer to return to Vanderbilt, where he has an ironman streak going of 137 consecutive starts for the ‘Dores. Yas-trzemski has started every game for Vanderbilt since May 26, 2010.

Noteworthy

“We are fortunate that our outfield has stayed intact for the better part of four years. Once again, it will be the most experienced area of our team. With Connor [Harrell], Yaz, Jack [Lupo] and Tony Kemp, we have four athletes who have much experience, arm strength and can track down the baseball.”

—Tim Corbin

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 316

EARN A GRADUATE DEGREE

FROM VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

www.vanderbilt.edu/mlas


Q&Assistants

Travis Jewett was announced as the Commodores’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator on Aug. 1 of last year. Jewett spent the past 11 seasons in the Pac-12 Conference, most recently as the associ-

ate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Arizona State.

Commodore Nation: You’ve been at Arizona State the past three years. Are you a west coast guy originally?

TJ: I’m actually from even further west. I’m from Tacoma, Washington, born and raised. I coached at both Washington and Washington State, and my wife’s from the northwest, too.

CN: What made you look at coming to Nashville?

TJ: Vanderbilt, Coach Corbin. I was fortunate to kind of have begun some communication with Coach Corbin [after] a good friend of mine was on his USA staff. I would stay in touch and always watched Vanderbilt from afar. I’d heard so many good things about it from people that had been around here. When the oppor-tunity arose it made you scratch your head and think about it. Obviously, you see what choice we made.

CN: Will your west coast ties change our approach to recruiting?

TJ: Not really. If you look at the roster now, the lay of the land has been that there’s no place too near or far. We have a kid from Oregon on our team right now, Tyler Campbell. I just think it’s about the right fit—ability-wise, character-wise, academically. California, Washington, to south Florida. Wherever. And Vanderbilt has such a good reputation, obviously, for its academic standards, but also the guy two doors down (Coach Corbin). So people see Vanderbilt as a destination spot for academics and the best baseball in the coun try, so it’s a nice sell.

CN: What is your approach to hitting?

TJ: Practice real baseball. My wife calls me caveman—meat and potatoes, put ketchup on everything, so to speak.... Does the tee work for hitting? More for warming up and doing things before I show up. Maybe for working on a body position or something like that. But in terms of the SEC or the Pac-12 or whatever league at this level, it doesn’t just sit thigh-high right over any third of the plate. It’s got velocity, it’s got move-ment, those types of things.

Trying to put [the hitters] in as much of a game-like environment as possible. Creating a system that we call around here, “checks and balances.” You can’t do it all. You can’t guess on five pitches that he’s got in his arsenal and think you’re going to hit them if you just stride and try to swing at the same time. Have a clear plan. If we’re executing our plan accordingly, whether we succeed or not, they’re going to get praised for it.

I like my players, like being around them. And I think they know that we’re in this together. n

Scott Brown was named Tim Corbin’s second pitching coach on Nov. 13. Brown spent nine successful seasons in a similar role at St. John’s before making the move to Nashville.

Commodore Nation: You were hired after fall ball ended. How has the transition been?

SB: I actually spent a couple of weeks here in November and early December just trying to learn as much as I possibly could about the guys: personality, skill set, work ethic, that type of stuff. We’ve just hit the ground running in the spring. There’s really no time; you just have to go with it and learn on the fly. We’ve been doing a pretty good job with that.

CN: Has your family joined you in Nashville yet?

SB: They got here about a week and a half ago. My son is ecstatic. He’s just loving Nashville. He’s going to school at Woodmont Christian, and he’s been to practice a few times. My two daughters—twin girls—are starting to finally sleep at night. My wife is really happy here and feels very comfortable.

CN: What made you want to come to Vanderbilt?

SB: Coach Corbin: the culture that he presents here really piqued my interest. At St. John’s, there were some opportunities to make some moves during the tenure, but I just never really felt 100 percent comfortable with the place to live, to raise my family, or the culture. St. John’s was really a great place to work and I really enjoyed working with Coach [Ed] Blankmeyer and the staff, but when I came down here for the interview, I just felt great about it. I felt like it was the right place at the right time and the right situation for my family.

CN: What is your coaching philosophy with pitchers?

TJ: We’re going to do whatever it takes to make the individual pitcher better. And I really stress “individual,” because I think every pitcher is different. We have 16 different pitchers on the staff, we’ll have 16 different, individual plans. So I’m almost like a pitching coach for every one of them rather than the coach of a staff. The philos-ophy is real simple. We’re just going to do what it takes to make that individual better so that they can reach their goals—because everybody has personal, individual goals—and ultimately win as many games as possible. n

When the Commodore baseball team opens its 2013 season on Friday, Feb. 15, against Long Beach State, Vanderbilt fans will get their first look at a pair of coaches in their first official game wearing the black and gold. Commodore Nation sat down with each new addition before the official start of spring practice.

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 318

By Chris Weinman

“It’s the other girls, actually,” Schrann said. “With Tiff being our No. 1 scorer right now, we’re trying to get the ball in to her. And when teams double up on her, it leaves me or Foggie or Jas wide open. And then there’s Jas constantly getting to the rim, and that forces the other team to crash into the middle, which opens up shots for other people, too.”

Despite shooting nearly 58 percent through her first 14 games of the 2012-13 season, you would not find Schrann’s name on the list of SEC field goal percentage leaders midway through the year since her number of attempts does not meet the league minimum. That can happen on a team where the league’s reigning scoring champion is not even the squad’s top scorer

(Foggie averaged 17.7 points per game last season, but Clarke holds a slight edge over her this season).

A top-50 recruit according to ESPN’s Hoop-gurlz ratings, Schrann was listed as the 10th-best point guard in the nation coming out of York Catholic High School in Pennsylvania. Her transi-tion to playing the wing for the Commodores—and backing up the point behind Lister, who leads the SEC in assists and is second in minutes played—was made easier by her experience with switching positions in high school. Schrann still appreciates how her knowledge of the point allows her to see the court.

“I played point guard for the main three years,” Schrann said. “But then my senior year I actually went more toward the wing because there was another girl on my team who could play the point. So we’d go back and forth, but I played more on the wing. Learning the point guard position, you have to know where everyone is supposed to be. It’s more information, but it helps you to distribute and to look for your own shot.”

Having Schrann looking for her own shot is something that her coaches and teammates

continue to encourage. While Schrann is the epitome of a team player, Foggie, for one, realizes the importance of having Schrann as another scoring threat in Vanderbilt’s arsenal.

“Kady is one of those players that just does whatever the team needs,” Foggie said. “We want her to be more aggressive. She’s been doing that and scoring a little more this year. She’s very important for us. When she attacks that helps all of us, [because] it gets the defense shifted.”

Schrann says her aggressiveness is best seen in practice—her drives into traffic in the paint against her teammates caused her to miss a game this season when she injured an ankle—

Schrann fits role with ’Dores

Kady Schrann started 27 games as a freshman in 2011-12.

Standing 5’9” tall, sophomore Kady Schrann is five inches shorter than the average student-athlete at the top of the Southeastern Conference’s women’s basketball field goal percentage chart. So how is a guard shooting well over 50 percent from the floor in the SEC? Schrann is quick to credit teammates—from senior post Tiffany Clarke, the team’s leading scorer, to junior guards Christina Foggie and Jasmine Lister—for giving her that opportunity.

JOE

HO

WEL

L

“Kady is one of those players that just does whatever the team needs.” —Christina Foggie


but it’s something she’s working to bring into games more often. The sophomore has also been hard at work on her outside shooting, which has hovered around 50 percent after being 37 percent last year.

As a freshman, Schrann started 27 games and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Her breakout offensive game came at the end of last January against LSU. With the Lady Tigers keying on Foggie on the heels of her 34-point perfor-mance to beat No. 15 Georgia, Schrann exploded for 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field. She was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week for her performance, which followed up a six-assist game against the Lady Dawgs.

But Schrann only scored in double-figures on seven occasions last season—a number she had reached by her second league contest of 2013. This year, as only a sophomore, she also is using her experience to help her younger teammates. Six freshmen joined the Commodores’ roster this season.

“Last year, I always put in the back of my mind what I wish I would have known,” Schrann

said. “So now I try to put that ahead for the freshmen this year and tell them ahead of time.

“I know last year there were a lot of times I would catch myself getting frustrated quickly, even in practice. So I just tell them to have patience with themselves and things are a lot easier to handle.”

After learning so much as a freshman, Schrann is eager to give back. Off the court, she also hopes to get back into community service. She served as a mentor in Big Brothers-Big Sisters in high school, but felt that her freshman year did not allow such a time commitment. Now Schrann feels like she’s in the perfect posi-tion to add more to her plate.

“I didn’t do it last year, because there were a ton of transitions,” Schrann said. “So I didn’t want to busy myself that much, but this year I have more time to do it, so when the opportu-nity comes around I’m going to grab onto it.”

Schrann has quietly carved out a niche for herself in Head Coach Melanie Balcomb’s lineup and certainly will be a key component of the Commodores’ late-season run. n

JOE

HO

WEL

L

Schrann was an SEC All-Freshman selection last year.

JOE

HO

WEL

L

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 320

Support Vanderbilt at home and away with Grand Avenue. Our fleet accommodates groups of all sizes. Start your tailgate party on the road and leave the driving to us.

Corporate, special occasion and customized transportation.

Never miss another away game.

GA

T 3

51.1

2 |

CN

| 2/1

3

FREE APP AVAILABLE

Call us today at 615.714.5466 or toll-free 866.455.2823

or visit GrandAvenueWorldwide.com/app The Ground Transportation Partner for Vanderbilt Athletics

MARK YOUR CALENDAR and book your TRANSPORTATION for these upcoming away VANDY BASKETBALL GAMES

VANDY MEN’S AWAY SCHEDULE

DATE LOCATIONMILEAGE SAVED BY USING GRAND AVENUE

2/17 University of Tennessee- Knoxville

358 milesround trip

2/21 University of Florida 1160 milesround trip

3/03 University of Georgia 614 milesround trip


2/6 Louisiana State University 1178 milesround trip

2/20 University of Kentucky 428 milesround trip

2/23 Mississippi State University 570 milesround trip

3/2 Auburn University 604 milesround trip

VANDY WOMEN’S AWAY SCHEDULE

GAT351.12 CN_Ad_2.13_FINAL4PRINT.indd 1 12/20/12 3:08 PM


Support Vanderbilt at home and away with Grand Avenue. Our fleet accommodates groups of all sizes. Start your tailgate party on the road and leave the driving to us.

Corporate, special occasion and customized transportation.

Never miss another away game.

GA

T 3

51.1

2 |

CN

| 2/1

3

FREE APP AVAILABLE

Call us today at 615.714.5466 or toll-free 866.455.2823

or visit GrandAvenueWorldwide.com/app The Ground Transportation Partner for Vanderbilt Athletics

MARK YOUR CALENDAR and book your TRANSPORTATION for these upcoming away VANDY BASKETBALL GAMES

VANDY MEN’S AWAY SCHEDULE


2/17 University of Tennessee- Knoxville

358 milesround trip

2/21 University of Florida 1160 milesround trip

3/03 University of Georgia 614 milesround trip


2/6 Louisiana State University 1178 milesround trip

2/20 University of Kentucky 428 milesround trip

2/23 Mississippi State University 570 milesround trip

3/2 Auburn University 604 milesround trip

VANDY WOMEN’S AWAY SCHEDULE

GAT351.12 CN_Ad_2.13_FINAL4PRINT.indd 1 12/20/12 3:08 PM

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 322


It’s My Turn

By Rod Williamson

T here’s a bull market on West End.It’s not insider trading to whisper that

the best time to buy Vanderbilt Commo-dore stock was a few years ago. And hooray for the wise investor who bought in a decade ago, those stocks have split. Yes, the market is up on many fronts, and forecasts expect even more.

By the time you are reading this, we fully expect that football will have had its most bountiful harvest of high school talent in many years. That is in keeping with baseball’s fall recruiting class, which was rated No. 1 in the nation by respected national publications. Our women’s basketball signing class hit the jackpot with a Top 5 effort, and many of our Olympic sport teams are on a roll.

Our Athletic Development office says giving has increased over the past year. The National Commodore Club reports revenue is up six figures for the annual fund, and that doesn’t consider the millions of dollars raised to renovate and build facilities or the hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by the relatively new NCC Excellence Fund programs —which give our friends an opportunity to contribute gifts earmarked for a specific program.

Not surprisingly, royalties from our licensed merchandise are up signifi-cantly, and that marker came in before anyone could calculate the tsunami of black and gold apparel purchased during the football and holiday seasons. Area merchants said our stuff was their top seller, probably the first time that was the case in decades.

We are expecting an upbeat spring of Olympic sport progress with sev-eral Commodore teams being national contenders. We just got news that nine of our 16 varsity programs rated in the nation’s Top 10 percent in the Academic Progress Report (APR), an important NCAA statistic in which we typically furnish half of the Southeastern Conference’s perfect scores.

We have much to celebrate, but should you drop by McGugin Center you won’t find any party hats or confetti. Far from it, our coaches and administrators are “Anchored Down” and zeroed in, making certain that our bull market stays bullish. We are pressing for more. Take your eye off the target for a moment in this brutally competitive league and the next “Johnny Football” will pop out from nowhere.

Success is a participatory sport. We realize that when we mention $100,000 or millions for new facilities that nearly everyone following along could conclude there is little they can do to help the cause. Wrong on several counts!

First off, with the league’s smallest alumni base we can never have enough fans or enough financial support. Every cheer—and every penny—helps!

More importantly, what is really soaring these days is something we can’t measure, buy or create, and that is morale. Commodore fans are standing tall for good reasons. That is the heart and soul of the real Bull Market. n

We are expecting an upbeat spring of Olympic sport progress with several Commodore teams being national contenders.

F e b r ua r y 2 0 1 324

My Game

Rod Odom

W ith 10 starts to his credit and 70 games played, junior Rod Odom entered the 2012-13 season as the senior member of

the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team. The Central Islip, N.Y., product has tripled his scoring output in his third season in the Black and Gold. Odom talked with Sports Information Director Andy Boggs about the T.V. show both consider his favorite.

Commodore Nation: I’ve heard Seinfeld is your favorite show. Have you seen every episode?

Rod Odom: I’ve seen them all. I’d say I probably haven’t seen every one twice, but some of them I’ve seen multiple times.

CN: What drew you to the show?

RO: My parents like it, so I always watched it with them, and it grew on me from there. And the New York flavor has something to do with it.

CN: Do you have a favorite character, and why?

RO: George. He’s just really animated and over the top with everything. And the ridiculous lies. You have to come up with something on the spot, and the things that he comes up with make it funny.

CN: And your favorite episode?

RO: The one with the calzone. George has to get Stein-brenner a calzone, and he messes it up because he steals the money from the tip jar. I like Steinbrenner a lot, too, so having him interact with George (Constanza) makes it really funny. n

PH

OTO

BY

JOE

HO

WEL

L

Comments: hi res pdfInks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, BlackFonts: Apex Sans, Myriad ProImages: VZENT-22734A-M-2-V-SF-15in.psd (347 ppi), Muted_Signal_Rings.ai, RM_KA_SHOT_04_165-Vandi-O30in-SF.psd (961 ppi), VZ_Vand_hor_g_p.ai, MGB_VZBRN-0001-H-L-FLYER bar-SF.psd (373 ppi), vz_4glte_lockup_p.eps

Job Number VSPO COSE F4948

Job Type Ad

Project Vanderbilt Basketball Ads

Version Code None

Pages/Panels 1 of 2

Component Vanderbilt Basketball Ads

Identifier Vanderbilt Basketball Ads

Inks Side 1 None

Inks Side 2 None

Finishing None

Template None

Paper Stock None

Hardward orEquipment None

Scale

Resolution

Bleed

Trim

Safety

Finished Size

Full Size (W” X H”) Reduced Size (W” X H”)

1” 1”

300 dpi 300 dpi

8.625” x 11.125” 8.625” x 11.125”

8.375” x 10.875” 8.375” x 10.875”

7.25” x 9.75” 7.25” x 9.75”

8.375” x 10.875”

Project Title: VSPO COSE F4948 Vanderbilt Basketball Ads

Team Proof Approval (Initial and Date)

Art Director Jeremy Tufts

Copywriter Owen Irvin

Studio None

Prod. Mgr. Ryan Brown

Acct. Exec. Austin Huff

125 E. Broad St. Greenville, SC 29601P: 864.271.0500 | F: 864.235.5941

622 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017P: 212.905.7000 | F: 212.370.0781

Official Wireless Provider of Vanderbilt Athletics

DOWNLOAD A SONG IN LESS THAN 4 SECONDS.THAT’S FASTER THAN A HALF COURT BUZZER BEATER.

AMERICA’S FASTEST4G NETWORK.

See verizonwireless.com/bestnetwork for details. © 2012 Verizon Wireless.

S:7.25”S:9.75”

T:8.375”T:10.875”

B:8.625”B:11.125”

Proud Sponsor of Vanderbilt University

commodore nation, february 2013

Documents

bank mobile bankingbank

bank mobile800

phones mobile browser

bank mobile app available

bank national association

seinfeldwith mobile

bank checkingsavings

mobile phone number