# 2016 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team

The 2016 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Commodores play their home games at Hawkins Field as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. They are led by head coach Tim Corbin, in his 14th season at Vanderbilt. The Commodores compiled a 40–15 regular season record, going 18–12 in the SEC and finishing ranked #10 in the nation. The Commodores earned a #6 seed in the 2016 Southeastern Conference tournament, where they went 2–2 and were eliminated by Texas A&M, the eventual champions. Following the SEC tournament, the Commodores hosted a regional in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament, part of the Louisville super regional. The season was marred by the death of freshman pitcher Donny Everett, who drowned the day before Vanderbilt was to take on Xavier University in their first regional game. Vanderbilt went 0–2 in the Nashville regional to end the season, falling to Xavier and Washington.

## Previous season

After a slow start to the 2015 season, the Commodores easily qualified for the 2015 Southeastern Conference tournament, where they finished second to the Florida Gators. They then played host to the 2015 NCAA Nashville Regional, where they defeated Lipscomb University and Radford University, the latter by a record-tying shutout score of 21–0. The Commodores then faced the University of Illinois in the NCAA Superegional, defeating them in a two-game sweep and advancing to the College World Series. In their opening-round game in the 2015 College World Series, Vanderbilt defeated Cal State Fullerton, 4–3, on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth in a game that had been suspended due to rain the night before, advancing into the winners' bracket. In their second-round game, Vanderbilt defeated the number 7 national seed TCU, 1–0. Zander Wiel hit a home run in the 7th inning to score the lone run of the game and break up a no-hitter. Behind an offensive outburst and dominating performance behind the arm of Walker Buehler, the Commodores beat TCU 7–1 to advance to their second straight College World Series Championship Series. In game 1 of the championship series Vanderbilt defeated Virginia 5–1 thanks to an outing by Carson Fulmer. Virginia held Vanderbilt scoreless (3–0) for just the second time all year, forcing a winner-take-all third game for the national championship. The Cavaliers beat Vanderbilt 4–2 to win their first baseball national championship in program history.

## Donny Everett

Vanderbilt freshman pitcher Donny Everett drowned at Normandy Lake, in Manchester, Tennessee, on June 2, 2016, just one day before the Commodores were to play Xavier to enter the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. According to officials, Everett was fishing with four friends when he decided to attempt to swim from the west side to the east side of Fire Lake Bridge. Halfway through, Everett began noticing problems and notified his friends for help, but they thought he was "joking around" because he didn't seem to be in distress. The report stated one of the four swam in to help Everett, by which he stated he wasn't a good swimmer and struggling to stay afloat. He looked back, but Everett had gone under and wasn't coming up-shore. Officials sent a deputy and an ambulance at 5:00 PM to the lake for "a subject that had gone underwater". Deputies recovered his body at 6:49 PM, and he was sent to the state medical examiner in Nashville. He was 19 years old. Everett won the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year, and was drafted in the 29th round last year by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Clarksville High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. He finished this season with a 0–1 record and a 1.50 ERA, as well as 13 strikeouts in 12 innings. After Everett's death, Vanderbilt University released a statement saying that "...the team, the athletic department and the university are trying to come to terms with this tragedy." As a result of Everett's untimely death, many NCAA baseball teams, including Ole Miss and LSU, paid tribute by holding a moment of silence and writing Everett's initials on their equipment. The NCAA offered to postpone Vanderbilt's June 3 game against Xavier but the Commodores planned to play, with Coach Corbin calling the baseball field "their safe haven." The game was eventually postponed due to rain.

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Vanderbilt | Alma mater |
| Tim Corbin | Head coach | 14 | Ohio Wesleyan University (1984) |
| Scott Brown | Assistant coach | 4 | SUNY Cortland (1999) |
| Travis Jewett | Assistant coach | 4 | Washington State University (1993) |

## Schedule

Legend :
| | Vanderbilt win |
| | Vanderbilt loss |
| | Postponement |
| Bold | Vanderbilt team member |
2015 Vanderbilt Commodores Game Log :
Regular season :
February :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall record |
| February 19 | vs. San Diego | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 8–4 | Sheffield (1–0) | Conyers (0–1) | Ruppenthal (1) | 3,054 | 1–0 |
| February 20 | vs. San Diego | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 13–6 | Snider (1–0) | Jacobs (0–1) | None | 3,168 | 2–0 |
| February 21 | vs. San Diego | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 17–1 | Johnson (1–0) | Sprengel (0–1) | None | 2,743 | 3–0 |
| February 23 | vs. Tennessee-Martin | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 11–6 (5) | Day (1–0) | Patzner (0–1) | None | 2,426 | 4–0 |
| February 24 | vs. Eastern Illinois | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 9–1 | Raby (1–0) | Hughes (0–1) | None | 2,401 | 5–0 |
| February 26 | vs. UIC | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 9–0 | Sheffield (2–0) | Dahlberg (0–2) | None | 2,473 | 6–0 |
| February 27 | vs. UIC | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 6–5 (14) | Johnson (2–0) | Lane (1–1) | None | 2841 | 7–0 |
| February 28 | vs. UIC | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 20–8 | Wright (1–0) | Schulewitz (1–1) | None | 3,028 | 8–0 |
March :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall record | SEC record |
| March 1 | Tennessee Tech | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| March 3 | at Stanford | #2 | Klein Field at Sunken Diamond • Palo Alto, CA | 1–4 | Beck (2–1) | Sheffield (2–1) | Hock (2) | | 8–1 | |
| March 3 | at Stanford | #2 | Klein Field at Sunken Diamond • Palo Alto, CA | 4–1 | Bowden (1–0) | Bubic (0–1) | Stone (1) | | 9–1 | |
| March 5 | at Stanford | #2 | Klein Field at Sunken Diamond • Palo Alto, CA | Moved to March 3 | Moved to March 3 | Moved to March 3 | Moved to March 3 | Moved to March 3 | Moved to March 3 | Moved to March 3 |
| March 6 | at Stanford | #2 | Klein Field at Sunken Diamond • Palo Alto, CA | 5–2 | Wright (2–0) | Hanewich (2–1) | Stone (2) | 1,816 | 10–1 | |
| March 8 | vs. Radford | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 13–4 | Raby (2–0) | Swarmer (0–1) | None | 2,539 | 11–1 | |
| March 9 | vs. Radford | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 12–0 | Day (2–0) | Ross (0–3) | Abraham (1) | 2,487 | 12–1 | |
| March 11 | vs. Xavier | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 7–0 | Sheffield (3–1) | Lowther (1–2) | None | 2,526 | 13–1 | |
| March 12 | vs. Xavier | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 14–3 | Bowden (2–0) | Jacknewitz (0–3) | None | 2,831 | 14–1 | |
| March 13 | vs. Xavier | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 5–2 | Wright (3–0) | Astle (0–2) | Stone (3) | 2,667 | 15–1 | |
| March 15 | vs. Northern Illinois | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 9–2 | Raby (3–0) | Ceja (0–1) | None | 2,628 | 16–1 | |
| March 18 | vs. #15 Mississippi State | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 1–2 (13) | Rigby (1–0) | Ruppenthal (0–1) | None | 3,626 | 16–2 | 0–1 |
| March 19 | vs. #15 Mississippi State | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 4–5 | Breaux (1–1) | Stone (0–1) | Hughes (1) | 3,626 | 16–3 | 0–2 |
| March 20 | vs. #15 Mississippi State | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 12–6 | Wright (4–0) | Brown (2–1) | Raby (1) | 3,330 | 17–3 | 1–2 |
| March 22 | at Middle Tennessee | #5 | Reese Smith Jr. Field • Murfreesboro, TN | 4–7 | Spencer (3–0) | Day (2–1) | Puckett (3) | 2,523 | 17–4 | 1–2 |
| March 25 | at Missouri | #5 | Taylor Stadium • Columbia, MO | 8–6 | Steele (1–0) | Carter (0–1) | Bowden (1) | 2,398 | 18–4 | 2–2 |
| March 26 | at Missouri | #5 | Taylor Stadium • Columbia, MO | 2–0 (11) | Ruppenthal (1–4) | Bartlett (1–2) | Bowden (2) | 1,262 | 19–4 | 3–2 |
| March 27 | at Missouri | #5 | Taylor Stadium • Columbia, MO | 17–7 | Johnson (3–0) | Tribby (2–3) | None | 263 | 20–4 | 4–2 |
| March 29 | vs. Belmont | #3 | First Tennessee Park • Nashville, TN | 8–2 | Snider (2–0) | Klotz (2–2) | None | 3,782 | 21–4 | 4–2 |
| March 31 | vs. #5 South Carolina | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 6–3 | Sheffield (4–1) | Schmidt (6–1) | Bowden (3) | 3,384 | 22–4 | 5–2 |
April :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall record | SEC record |
| April 1 | vs. #5 South Carolina | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 0–4 | Webb (6–1) | Wright (4–1) | None | 3,626 | 22–5 | 5–3 |
| April 2 | vs. #5 South Carolina | #3 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 10–6 | Ruppenthal (2–1) | Johnson (0–1) | Bowden (4) | 3,626 | 23–5 | 6–3 |
| April 5 | vs. Lipscomb | #2 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 4–3 | Raby (4–0) | Stewart (2–1) | Bowden (5) | 2,745 | 24–5 | 6–3 |
| April 7 | at #15 LSU | #2 | Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field • Baton Rouge, LA | 4–13 | Poche' (4–3) | Sheffield (4–2) | None | 10,366 | 24–6 | 6–4 |
| April 8 | at #15 LSU | #2 | Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field • Baton Rouge, LA | 2–3 | Lange (3–2) | Wright (4–2) | Newman (1) | 11,146 | 24–7 | 6–5 |
| April 9 | at #15 LSU | #2 | Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field • Baton Rouge, LA | 9–7 | Raby (5–0) | Gilbert (3–2) | Bowden (6) | 10,802 | 25–7 | 7–5 |
| April 12 | vs. Middle Tennessee | #5 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 7–4 | Johnson (4–0) | Wright (0–1) | Kilichowski (1) | 2,960 | 26–7 | 7–5 |
| April 15 | vs. #18 Kentucky | #5 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 3–0 | Sheffield (5–2) | Brown (2–6) | None | 3,388 | 27–7 | 8–5 |
| April 16 | vs. #18 Kentucky | #5 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 3–2 | Ruppenthal (3–1) | Strecker (2–1) | Bowden (7) | 3,626 | 28–7 | 9–5 |
| April 17 | vs. #18 Kentucky | #5 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 0–3 | Cody (4–2) | Kilichowski (0–1) | Hjelle (6) | 3,626 | 28–8 | 9–6 |
| April 19 | vs. Central Arkansas | #4 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 8–6 | Snider (3–0) | Beier (3–1) | Bowden (8) | 2,776 | 29–8 | 9–6 |
| April 22 | at Tennessee | #4 | Lindsey Nelson Stadium • Knoxville, TN | 6–0 | Sheffield (6–2) | Soto (4–2) | None | 2,084 | 30–8 | 10–6 |
| April 23 | at Tennessee | #4 | Lindsey Nelson Stadium • Knoxville, TN | 1–2 | Warren (5–4) | Wright (4–3) | Cox (1) | 2,620 | 30–9 | 10–7 |
| April 24 | at Tennessee | #4 | Lindsey Nelson Stadium • Knoxville, TN | 3–5 | Neely (1–0) | Bowden (2–1) | Cox (2) | 3,136 | 30–10 | 10–8 |
| April 29 | vs. Georgia | #8 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 15–3 | Sheffield (7–2) | Tyler (3–4) | None | 3,450 | 31–10 | 11–8 |
| April 30 | vs. Georgia | #8 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 10–3 | Wright (5–3) | Jones (5–4) | None | 3,470 | 32–10 | 12–8 |
May :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall record | SEC record |
| May 1 | vs. Georgia | #8 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 10–3 | Raby (6–0) | Holder (2–3) | Kilichowski (2) | 3,608 | 33–10 | 13–8 |
| May 3 | vs. Western Kentucky | #8 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 6–1 | McGarry (1–0) | Coll (3–3) | None | 2,669 | 34–10 | 13–8 |
| May 5 | at #2 Texas A&M | #8 | Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park • College Station, TX | 0–1 | Vinson (2–2) | Sheffield (7–3) | Ecker (3) | 4,482 | 34–11 | 13–9 |
| May 6 | at #2 Texas A&M | #8 | Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park • College Station, TX | 6–1 | Wright (6–3) | Hill (5–1) | None | 6,054 | 35–11 | 14–9 |
| May 7 | at #2 Texas A&M | #8 | Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park • College Station, TX | 0–3 | Simonds (8–1) | Raby (6–1) | None | 6,550 | 35–12 | 14–10 |
| May 10 | vs. #6 Louisville | #11 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 5–8 | McClure (10–0) | Everett (0–1) | Burdi (7) | 3,206 | 35–13 | 14–10 |
| May 13 | at #1 Florida | #11 | Alfred A. McKethan Stadium • Gainesville, FL | 2–4 | Shore (10–0) | Sheffield (7–4) | None | 4,537 | 35–14 | 14–11 |
| May 14 | at #1 Florida | #11 | Alfred A. McKethan Stadium • Gainesville, FL | 5–0 | Wright (7–3) | Puk (2–3) | None | 4,783 | 36–14 | 15–11 |
| May 15 | at #1 Florida | #11 | Alfred A. McKethan Stadium • Gainesville, FL | 6–10 | Faedo (10–1) | Kilichowski (0–2) | None | 4,340 | 36–15 | 15–12 |
| May 17 | vs. Morehead State | #12 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 6–0 | Snider (4–0) | Pearcy (0–3) | None | 2,632 | 37–15 | 15–12 |
| May 19 | vs. Auburn | #12 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 5–2 | Sheffield (8–4) | Camp (3–5) | Raby (2) | 2,896 | 38–15 | 16–12 |
| May 20 | vs. Auburn | #12 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 9–3 | Kilichowski (1–2) | Lipscomb (1–4) | None | 3,450 | 39–15 | 17–12 |
| May 21 | vs. Auburn | #12 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 4–3 | Wright (8–3) | Mize (2–5) | Bowden (10) | 3,626 | 40–15 | 18–12 |
Post-season :
SEC Tournament :
| Date | Opponent | SECT Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Overall record | SECT Record |
| May 24 | vs. #11 Missouri | #6 | Hoover Met • Hoover, AL | 7–0 | Raby (7–1) | Houck (5–6) | Snider (3) | 41–15 | 1–0 |
| May 25 | vs. #3 Texas A&M | #6 | Hoover Met • Hoover, AL | 6–5 | Ruppenthal (5–1) | Ecker (4–2) | None | 42–15 | 2–0 |
| May 26 | vs. #7 Ole Miss | #6 | Hoover Met • Hoover, AL | 9–12 | McArthur (6–1) | Sheffield (8–5) | None | 42–16 | 2–1 |
| May 26 | vs. #3 Texas A&M | #6 | Hoover Met • Hoover, AL | 3–13 | Simonds (9–3) | Wright (8–4) | None | 42–17 | 2–2 Eliminated |
NCAA tournament: Nashville Regional :
| Date | Opponent | Regional Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Attendance | Overall record | Regional Record |
| June 3 | vs. #4 Xavier | #1 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | Moved to June 4 | Moved to June 4 | Moved to June 4 | Moved to June 4 | Moved to June 4 | Moved to June 4 | Moved to June 4 |
| June 4 | vs. #4 Xavier | #1 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 1–15 | Lowther (7–5) | Sheffield (8–6) | None | 2,954 | 42–18 | 0–1 |
| June 4 | vs. #3 Washington | #1 | Hawkins Field • Nashville, TN | 8–9 | Jones (6–2) | Ruppenthal (5–2) | None | | 42–19 | 0–2 Eliminated |

## Record vs. conference opponents

Last two do not qualify for conf. tourn. Blank are not scheduled. Blue are home games, otherwise away.
2016 SEC baseball recordsvte
Source: 2016 SEC baseball game results :
| Team | W–L | ALA | ARK | AUB | FLA | UGA | KEN | LSU | MSU | MIZZ | MISS | SCAR | TENN | TAMU | VAN | Team | Div | SR | SW |
| ALA | 15–15 | | 3–0 | 2–1 | . | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | . | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | . | ALA | W5 | 5–5 | 1–1 |
| ARK | 7–23 | 0–3 | | 3–0 | 0–3 | . | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | . | 1–2 | . | ARK | W7 | 2–8 | 1–6 |
| AUB | 8–22 | 1–2 | 0–3 | | . | . | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | . | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | AUB | W6 | 2–8 | 0–4 |
| FLA | 19–10 | . | 3–0 | . | | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | . | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | FLA | E2 | 6–3 | 3–0 |
| UGA | 11–19 | 2–1 | . | . | 1–2 | | 1–2 | . | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | UGA | E5 | 3–7 | 0–2 |
| KEN | 15–15 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | | . | . | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | . | 1–2 | KEN | E4 | 6–4 | 0–1 |
| LSU | 19–11 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | . | . | | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | . | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | LSU | W3 | 6–4 | 3–0 |
| MSU | 21–9 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | . | 2–1 | | 3–0 | 2–1 | . | . | 0–3 | 2–1 | MSU | W1 | 9–1 | 3–1 |
| MIZZ | 9–21 | . | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–3 | | . | 0–3 | 3–0 | . | 0–3 | MIZZ | E7 | 2–8 | 1–4 |
| MISS | 18–12 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | . | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | . | | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | . | MISS | W4 | 6–4 | 3–1 |
| SCAR | 20–9 | 3–0 | 3–0 | . | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | . | . | 3–0 | 3–0 | | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | SCAR | E1 | 5–4 | 5–0 |
| TENN | 9–21 | 1–2 | . | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | . | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | | . | 2–1 | TENN | E6 | 2–8 | 0–3 |
| TAMU | 20–10 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 3–0 | . | 2–1 | 3–0 | . | 2–1 | 2–1 | . | | 2–1 | TAMU | W2 | 9–1 | 2–1 |
| VAN | 18–12 | . | . | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | . | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | | VAN | E3 | 5–5 | 3–0 |
| Team | W–L | ALA | ARK | AUB | FLA | UGA | KEN | LSU | MSU | MIZZ | MISS | SCAR | TENN | TAMU | VAN | Team | Div | SR | SW |
Updated for entire regular season.