How Vanderbilt baseball found winning postseason formula in SEC tournament

HOOVER, Ala. — The low point of Vanderbilt baseball's season, as Tim Corbin tells it, came May 17 at Kentucky Proud Park.

The Wildcats celebrated a run-rule victory that clinched them a share of the SEC title. Fireworks streaked through the sky, a scene the Vanderbilt coach likened to the presidential inauguration.

At that point, Vanderbilt was 12-17 in the SEC and needed to avoid a sweep to put itself in good position for a regional.

The next day, the Commodores got the win they needed on the final day of the regular season. They went into the SEC tournament needing at least one win to feel good about their postseason resume − and got three.

Although Vanderbilt fell, 6-4, in the semifinals to Tennessee, the Commodores (38-21) can now say they are safely in the NCAA tournament. Sitting at No. 19 in the RPI, Vanderbilt has a good argument to be a No. 2 seed in the tournament. It will find out its official draw Monday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN2).

Here's how the Commodores found a groove in the tournament run:

Key players returning

Vanderbilt played large chunks of conference play without several key players. JD Thompson, who threw six innings of one-run ball against Mississippi State on Thursday, missed the first four weeks of the SEC season with an injury. Then, Devin Futrell − the starting pitcher in Wednesday's win over Tennessee − missed a month beginning in late March.

Thompson returned in mid-April, but he was ejected and suspended from an April 20 game against Florida due to use of a foreign substance, causing him to miss a series loss to Mississippi State. While warming up to replace him in that game, Ethan McElvain suffered a back injury that caused him to miss a month.

McElvain made the start in Saturday's game, pitching one scoreless inning.

Futrell returned just ahead of the Mississippi State series, but in the second game, Jayden Davis − who at the time led the team in batting average during conference play − suffered orbital fractures getting hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt.

The SEC tournament was the first time McElvain, Futrell and Thompson have been available at the same time since mid-March. Each has the potential to make a big impact in a regional.

Davis, meanwhile, appeared as a pinch-hitter in the semifinal, working a four-pitch walk in the eighth inning. He was pulled for a pinch-runner.

"He's been working up to that point and I told him this morning at breakfast that if this situation came up that I wouldn't flinch as long as he doesn't, I won't," Corbin said. "And I put him in the game, he drew a walk. Good for him. That's an at-bat we needed going into next week."

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Thompson, Futrell and staff ace Bryce Cunningham, who threw six scoreless innings in the tournament opener against Florida, all had solid outings.

Usual Saturday, starter Carter Holton did not pitch in the tournament after leaving a start against Kentucky early, though Corbin said that he was on the active roster.

The SEC tournament could also be viewed as an audition for bullpen roles in the postseason with that aspect unsettled for most of the year.

Miller Green was the highlight there. The freshman left-hander earned the win in the first game against Tennessee, pitching four scoreless innings with no walks and four strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.61. Brennan Seiber, who leads the team with 22 appearances, gave up three runs in three innings against Florida and two runs (one earned) in three innings against Tennessee, but Seiber also struck out four and did not issue a walk across the two appearances.

Freshman Alex Kranzler pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings Saturday and racked up three strikeouts, including power hitters Christian Moore and Billy Amick.

The rest of the bullpen was a bit shakier. Against Mississippi State, Greysen Carter was pulled after ⅔ of an inning when he loaded the bases with two outs. Ryan Ginther got out of that jam, but he gave up two runs in the ninth inning. Luke Guth pitched in both games against Tennessee, but he walked two batters in his only inning in the first game, then gave up three runs in two innings in the second to take the loss.

A Braden Holcomb breakout?

Freshman Braden Holcomb recorded seven hits and three walks across the four games Vanderbilt played. Though Holcomb has at times struggled with strikeouts, he showed what his potential can be when he maintains discipline.

"His at-bats are more mature," Corbin said Thursday. "He's handling adrenaline better. The more he plays better he's going to get."

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: How Vanderbilt baseball boosted NCAA resume in SEC tournament