Vanderbilt's Julian Infante, right, is congratulated by coach Tim Corbin after hitting a home run during Sunday's 12-1 win against Indiana State in an NCAA baseball regional game at Hawkins Field in Nashville.NASHVILLE - Vanderbilt's Julian Infante tipped his cap to the applauding fans after being named MVP of the NCAA baseball tournament regional his team hosted last weekend.
The senior infielder went 6-for-12 in three games at the four-team, double-elimination event, cranking out three home runs, three doubles and five RBIs - and he did it from the ninth spot in the Commodores' batting order.
It was just another indicator of how strong coach Tim Corbin's lineup is from top to bottom. Junior outfielder JJ Bleday, the Division I leader in home runs this season with 26, had a relatively quiet weekend - yet Vanderbilt, the No. 2 overall seed in the 64-team tournament, outscored its regional opponents 28-8 as the program advanced to a super regional for the ninth time.
The Commodores (52-10) will host in the next phase of the postseason, too, with their best-of-three series against Duke (34-25) starting Friday with a 6 p.m. EDT game at Hawkins Field. The second game is at 9 p.m. Saturday, and a third game, if necessary, would be at 3 p.m. Sunday. Super regional winners advance to the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ohio State coach Greg Beals, whose team lost 8-2 to Vanderbilt last Friday as regional play got underway, said the Commodores' lineup is as good as there is in college baseball.
"I haven't seen everybody in the country, but that one's pretty good," Beals said. "They're hitting .319 as a team. They've got home runs, and they've got stolen bases. They've got a little bit of everything that they can do in that lineup, and that's what makes them tough."
Corbin took over the program before the 2003 season, and pitching has been Vanderbilt's biggest strength during most of his tenure. Now he has one of the best-hitting teams in program history as the Commodores chase a fourth trip to the College World Series, which includes a run to the 2014 national title and a runner-up finish the following season.
Infante's second home run in Sunday's 12-1 win against Indiana State, the victory that clinched the super regional berth, was the Commodores' fourth of the game and 87th this season, a program record. While the Commodores obviously are capable of hitting for power, their .319 batting average is best among Southeastern Conference teams this season and fourth nationally. They've set team records for most RBIs (497), walks (341) and runs (529) in a season, with a few more marks within range for the team with the nation's most wins in 2019.
"I think whoever walks in here to play Vanderbilt better pack a lunch," Indiana State coach Mitch Hannahs said. "That's a very good team."
The Commodores last hit for average like this in 2007 when setting the school record at .324, and they hadn't hit as many as 85 home runs since 1997. They also have hit at least one home run in nine of their past 10 games. The Commodores' ability at the plate is a big reason why they have won 12 straight games and 25 of their past 26.
Corbin noted Infante hit fourth and fifth in the order as a freshman and that the senior now is tied for second on the team with 11 home runs this season. Ty Duvall, batting eighth, hit a grand slam in the regional clincher. Leadoff hitter Austin Martin (.410) is trying to become the first Commodore to bat better than .400 since Warner Jones hit .414 in 2004. Bleday (.353) leads five other hitters batting at least .294.
"As a coach, when you're standing at third base," Corbin said, "there's a comfort level every time someone gets to the plate."
Sophomore Philip Clarke, hitting .306 with seven home runs, said experience benefits the Commodores throughout their upperclassmen-laden order.
"Everyone's been in that situation," Clarke said. "There's really not any nerves. Plus, you have a guy coming up right behind you that you have full confidence in. There's really nothing to be nervous about."
Ohio State and Indiana State held Martin and Bleday - who on Monday night became the fourth pick overall in this year's MLB draft - to just one RBI and seven walks combined. Duvall said that only proves the Commodores' strength.
"We don't really need certain guys to produce one through nine," Duvall said. "Anyone can put up to change the scoreboard and things like that to get us going."