As his Chattanooga Lookouts were preparing for last Saturday's series finale in Birmingham, manager Tommy Watkins was sitting in the visiting clubhouse office when he heard a roar from his players.
Watkins figured the outburst was the result of a Tiger Woods shot at the Memorial Tournament.
Chattanooga Lookouts first-year player Zander Wiel was a member of Vanderbilt's 2014 national championship team and the 2015 NCAA runner-up. (Vanderbilt photo)"I didn't know what they were yelling about," he said. "Later that night, I was watching 'SportsCenter' and I saw that Mississippi State had walked off Florida State. We've got (Brent) Rooker from Mississippi State and (James) Ramsey from Florida State, and that's what they were all screaming about."
Before the Lookouts take the field each evening in their quest to wrap up the Southern League's North Division first-half title, they are getting even more of a baseball fix by consuming the NCAA tournament on the various ESPN platforms. Rooker was playing for Mississippi State this time last year, while Lookouts first baseman Zander Wiel was a key contributor on Vanderbilt's 2014 national champions and 2015 runners-up.
Vanderbilt qualified for a super regional this week with Sunday night's 19-6 bombarding of Clemson, and Mississippi State advanced Monday with an 8-1 win over Oklahoma. The Commodores and Bulldogs will play a best-of-three series later this week, pitting the Lookouts teammates.
"A Vanderbilt-Mississippi State super regional will be exciting for me and Zander," Rooker said. "It's fun to go back and forth with this kind of stuff. Beating Florida State was so big for us."
Mississippi State had managed just three hits against Florida State and was down to its final strike of the season Saturday, when Elijah MacNamee launched a three-run home run that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory. Ramsey, a Lookouts outfielder, played for the Seminoles from 2009 to 2012, hitting .364 as a junior and .378 as a senior.
The Seminoles have qualified for the NCAA tournament 39 consecutive seasons under coach Mike Martin but have yet to win the national championship, finishing runner-up to Arizona in 1986 and to Miami in 1999.
When asked if Rooker has reminded him about Saturday's outcome, Ramsey said, "He's been pretty good about it. I'm a die-hard Seminoles fan, but I'm pretty low-key when I'm watching them. That was tough to watch."
Wiel is proud of the fact that Vanderbilt is thriving in its 13th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, which is the longest active streak of any Southeastern Conference school.
"It's an honor to have been a part of this," Wiel said. "To see the sustained success is a testament to what Coach (Tim) Corbin has done there and his ability to get quality guys in there. He's kept a culture going there where the winning just continues."
Of course, some Lookouts players have a more passionate interest in the NCAA tournament than others. Left fielder LaMonte Wade's Maryland Terrapins did not qualify for this year's 64-team field.
The Terrapins did reach the super regionals in each of Wade's last two seasons in 2014-15.
"We'll get back there next year," Wade said, smiling. "These games bring back a lot of good memories, and a lot of guys can relive their college days. It's a lot of fun. We had some rain delays in Birmingham, so we watched a ton of those games."
Which Watkins has no problem with whatsoever.
"I think all the guys are watching," he said. "I think it's pretty cool."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.