Team Feature: Vanderbilt Commodores

Last year they came up short. This year they're hoping to take that next step and get the folks in Nashville excited about the College World Series.

Vanderbilt had a breakout year last year, winning the Southeastern Conference title and taking the No. 1 ranking into the postseason. Their hopes for making the College World Series for the first time were derailed, though, as they were upset in the regionals by Michigan.

The Commodores were looking good heading into the 2008 season, but their hopes took a dip when two-time All-American Pedro Alvarez went down with a broken hand during an opening-weekend tournament in Arizona.

Through it all, coach Tim Corbin and his troops have persevered, and they find themselves in the conversation of teams that could make their way to Omaha this summer. They carry a 35-15 record into their final regular-season series at Florida and will be one of the favorites to win the SEC tournament title next week.

Pitching has helped keep Vanderbilt in the hunt this season, led by Caleb Cotham. The righthanded freshman is 7-3 on the year with a team-best 3.28 earned-run average and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 3-to-1. They have also received some solid efforts from Mike Minor (5-3, 4.07) and Nick Christiani (5-3, 4.37), with Russell Brewer leading the bullpen with five saves and four wins in relief.

Offensively, the Commodores have managed to make up for the temporary loss of Alvarez (who has since come back to hit .322 in 29 games). David Macias leads the team with a .375 batting average, and Ryan Flaherty has been the powerhouse in the lineup with the top team marks in homers (12) and RBI's (53). Dominic de la Osa has proven to be an effective weapon on the basepaths, recording 23 steals on the year.

The Commodores recently lost a series to Georgia that should secure the SEC tournament top seed for the Bulldogs, but don't count Vanderbilt out of the hunt this postseason. They are a very solid team and are hungry to make the trip to Omaha after coming up short in 2007.