Vanderbilt vs South Carolina: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

Arguably the top SEC baseball series this upcoming weekend is set to take place in Nashville, as a pair of Top 10 teams nationally, Vanderbilt and South Carolina, are set to face off for three games.

Vanderbilt vs South Carolina: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

When:

• Friday, April 14 at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Saturday, April 15 at 3:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Sunday, April 16 at 2:00 PM ET on SEC Network+

Where: Hawkins Field, Nashville, TN

Beginning with a look at Vanderbilt, the Commodores are currently ranked as the No. 4 team in the country, sitting at 27-6 overall, as well as holding the highest win total in SEC baseball play of any team in the conference at 11-1. The Commodores are also coming off a 14-2 midweek win over North Alabama on Tuesday, as well as having won two-of-three at Missouri last weekend.

Batting for a combined .290 AVG as a team this season, Vanderbilt’s lineup is led by outfielder RJ Schreck, who is currently hitting for a .347 AVG, while also leading the Commodores with eight HR and 38 RBI. The Commodores also have three other .300+ hitters in Chris Maldonado, Matthew Polk, and Enrique Bradfield Jr., with Bradfield in particular one of SEC baseball’s leaders in stolen bases at 25-for-29 for the year.

The Commodores pitching staff owns a combined 3.18 ERA as a team for the season, and are led by the trio of Devin Futrell, Carter Holton, and Hunter Owen, each of which hold ERA’s under 4.00. Vanderbilt has also gotten strong play from reliever Nick Maldonado, who owns a 0.00 ERA with four saves across 17 IP this season, while others such as Greysen Carter, Bryce Cunningham, Sam Hliboki, and Ryan Ginther are also key names on the Commodores pitching staff.

As for South Carolina, the Gamecocks are ranked as the No. 6 team in the country, currently sitting at 29-4 overall, which is the highest overall win total of any SEC baseball team, while also holding a 9-2 mark in conference play. The Gamecocks are also coming off a 7-2 win over SC Upstate on Tuesday night, as well as a two-game series split with LSU last weekend.

The Gamecocks as a team are batting for a combined .293 AVG, and are led by Ethan Petry, who currently leads South Carolina with a .449 AVG, as well as with 16 HR and 52 RBI. South Carolina also has three other .300+ hitters in Talmadge LeCroy, Braylen Wimmer, and Cole Messina, while Gavin Casas is also a name to know, having hit 15 HR with 37 RBI this season.

Pitching-wise, the Gamecocks own a combined 3.10 ERA as a team, and are led by the trio of Jack Mahoney, Noah Hall, and Will Sanders in the rotation. The Gamecocks bullpen has also impressed so far this season, with names such as James Hicks, Eli Jerzembeck, Eli Jones, and Matthew Becker all leading the way.

As for a series prediction, I’ll say that the home field advantage for the Commodores plays a factor,  and in a three-game set where the pitching could shine, Vanderbilt takes two-of-three from South Carolina.

Series Prediction: Vanderbilt wins two games, South Carolina wins one