Three questions for Vanderbilt baseball ahead of SEC play: Can bullpen find solutions?

Vanderbilt baseball is riding a 10-game winning streak into SEC play. After blown leads against the likes of Dayton and Gonzaga in the first two weeks of the season, the Commodores (15-3) have since picked up quality wins against the likes of Indiana State, Texas and Indiana.

But Vanderbilt still has some issues to figure out ahead of its SEC-opening matchup with Auburn (13-3) starting Friday (6 p.m., SEC Network+) at Hawkins Field. The pitching staff has allowed 4.61 runs per game, 10th in the SEC. The Commodores have also been hit with some injuries. Catcher/outfielder Jack Bulger (hamstring) and infielder Chris Maldonado (shoulder) have been out since the second weekend.

Vanderbilt has stood out on the baserunning front. The Commodores lead the SEC with 45 stolen bases and have three players at eight or more steals. The Tigers are also prolific on the bases, with 34 steals. Auburn's Cooper Weiss leads the league with 14 stolen bases.

Here are three questions Vanderbilt will need to answer as conference play gets going:

Can Vanderbilt's bullpen get things figured out?

Vanderbilt has two reliable backend options in junior lefty Ryan Ginther and freshman righty Brennan Seiber. But the Commodores have turned to one of those two even with leads of five or six runs due to a lack of other reliable options and a propensity to give up big innings.

This bullpen is heavy on freshmen and transfers, and Vanderbilt has struggled to find relievers who can both throw strikes and miss bats. Strike-throwing options like Sam Hliboki and Alex Kranzler have gotten hit hard at times, and high-octane relievers like Ethan McElvain, Greysen Carter and Sawyer Hawks have unsightly walk rates.

The Commodores got one piece of good news and one piece of bad news in a 13-5 win over Indiana on Tuesday. David Horn, who became a key part of the bullpen late in the 2023 season, returned after missing the first three weeks of the season with an undisclosed injury, pitching a scoreless inning. But Andrew Dutkanych IV, who was second among primary relievers on the team in innings, suffered an arm injury and left the game. His status is unclear, but an update from coach Tim Corbin after the game was not particularly promising.

With so many newcomers in the bullpen, and more talent than it's showed so far, it's possible the group can figure things out, but things haven't been encouraging so far.

Can a depth-based lineup approach work?

In the past few years, there's been one clear offensive strategy that works in the SEC: hitting home runs. The Commodores have fallen behind the past few years when it comes to putting balls in the stands.

Vanderbilt isn't a prolific home run-hitting team this season either. But the Commodores have been able to score more runs than expected due in part to a lineup that has at least a dozen quality options. Even with Bulger and Maldonado having missed time to injury, there haven't been any holes in the batting order.

Still, it remains to be seen whether this approach will work against the higher-octane pitching staffs in the SEC. It also relies on players like Samford transfer Jayden Davis and freshman Camden Kozeal to adapt quickly to SEC pitching.

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Can Bryce Cunningham be a dude in the rotation?

Bryce Cunningham has been given starting opportunities each of the past two seasons but was unable to stick in the rotation. After strong performances over the summer and preseason, Cunningham was named the Saturday starter to begin the season. His first two starts were shaky, but Cunningham set career highs in each of his last two. Against Houston and Illinois State, Cunningham combined for 13⅔ innings, allowing three runs (two earned) with two walks and 19 strikeouts.

If that version of Cunningham can show up during SEC play, it will lessen the pressure on the bullpen and give Vanderbilt one of the most formidable rotations in the league.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball: Three questions to answer for SEC play vs. Auburn