Vanderbilt vs Kentucky: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

With both teams coming off series’ losses this past weekend, two of the SEC East’s best face off this weekend for three games in Nashville, as Top 25 teams’ Vanderbilt and Kentucky meet in SEC baseball action.

Vanderbilt vs Kentucky: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

When:

• Friday, April 28 at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Saturday, April 29 at 3:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Sunday, April 30 at 3:00 PM ET on SEC Network

Where: Hawkins Field, Nashville, TN

Led by head coach Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt is ranked as the No. 5 team in the country, holding a 29-11 overall record, as well as a 13-5 mark in SEC play, which is tied for the highest win total in SEC play of any team across the conference. The Commodores however also enter the weekend on a four-game losing streak, having fallen to Indiana State last Tuesday, as well as being swept on the road at Tennessee.

The Commodores as a team are currently batting for a combined .280 AVG at the plate, and are led by outfielder RJ Schreck, who leads Vanderbilt with a .366 AVG, 10 HR, and 45 RBI. Vanderbilt also has two additional .300+ hitters in Chris Maldonado and Matthew Polk, while a few others such as Enrique Bradfield Jr., Davis Diaz, and Parker Noland among others have all had key impacts toward the Commodores success so far this season.

Vanderbilt’s pitching staff owns a combined 4.03 ERA this season, and are led the rotation trio of Devin Futrell, Carter Holton, and Hunter Owen, each of which own an ERA under 3.50 for the year. The Commodores also have one of the most experienced relievers in SEC baseball in right-hander Nick Maldonado, who owns a 1.57 ERA this season, and have gotten key impacts from others that include Ryan Ginther, JD Thompson, and Thomas Schultz among others.

Led by head coach Nick Mingione, Kentucky is ranked as the nation’s No. 15 team, currently sitting at 30-10 overall, as well as 11-7 in SEC play. Kentucky has however dropped seven of their last 10 games, which includes a series loss to Texas A&M this past weekend, as well as a 7-0 loss to rival Louisville this past Tuesday night.

The Wildcats currently hold a combined .296 AVG as a team, and are led offensively by Hunter Gilliam, who is one of Kentucky’s top hitters with a .351 AVG, as well as leading the team with eight HR and 53 RBI. Kentucky has four other .300+ hitters in Emilien Pitre, Jackson Gray, Jase Felker, and Nolan McCarthy, while Devin Burkes is also a key name to know.

Kentucky’s pitching staff holds a combined 3.92 ERA as a team, with Zack Lee, Travis Smith, and Tyler Bosma composing the primary rotation this season. As for the Wildcats bullpen, Kentucky has received strong play from the likes of Ryan Hagenow, Mason Moore, Darren Williams, and Jackson Nove among others so far this season.

Making a prediction, I’ll say that Vanderbilt wins this series, with the Commodores pitching a big reason as to why, in particular the starters. However, Kentucky could very easily win at-least one game this weekend as well, if not take the series outright.

Series Prediction: Vanderbilt wins two games, Kentucky wins one