Vandy run as national champ ends with 4-2 loss to Virginia

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Once Vanderbilt lost momentum in the College World Series finals, the Commodores could never get it back. Now their run as national champions is over after a 4-2 loss to Virginia on Wednesday night. The Commodores scored twice in the first inning, but generated little else against Brandon Waddell and Nathan Kirby.


Vandy holds Virginia to 4 hits, wins CWS finals opener 5-1 (The Associated Press):

Carson Fulmer knew his career at Vanderbilt was over as coach Tim Corbin walked from the third-base dugout to the mound in the eighth inning. Fulmer held Virginia to two hits and struck out eight over 7 2/3 shutout innings Monday night, just the kind of outing the Commodores needed in a 5-1 victory in the opener of the College World Series finals. ''It's such a great memory for him to pitch his final game,'' Corbin said.


15 CWS homers mirror rise in offense across college baseball (The Associated Press):

The 15 home runs hit in 16 College World Series games this year were the most since the tournament moved to TD Ameritrade Park in 2011 and they mirrored the increased offense across Division I this season. The NCAA put a new flat-seam ball into play this year to counter severe drops in offense since bat specifications changed five years ago. Home run totals during the first four years of the CWS in TD Ameritrade Park were nine, 10, three and three.


Hard times toughened Virginia players for their run to title (The Associated Press):

Winning, and winning big, has been the standard for the Virginia baseball program since coach Brian O'Connor took over in 2004, and no excuses were allowed when the most trying circumstances cropped up. The Cavaliers entered the season without six everyday players and four key relief pitchers from the team that was College World Series runner-up to Vanderbilt. No one, however, could have foreseen the injuries that left the Cavaliers with just 11 healthy position players in March.


Virginia beats Florida 5-4, faces Vandy in CWS finals again (The Associated Press):

Virginia is back in the College World Series finals, and this time it was a lot harder getting there. The Cavaliers came from behind twice Saturday night to defeat Florida 5-4, and it was a couple of old reliables who made it happen. Josh Sborz pitched four innings of shutout relief, and Kenny Towns delivered the winning run on a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.


Virginia, Vanderbilt are set for winner-take-all CWS Game 3 (The Associated Press):

This scrappy Virginia team with patchwork pitching and a late-to-start offense finds itself one win away from its first national title. The Cavaliers forced a winner-take-all Game 3 in the College World Series with its 3-0 victory over defending champion Vanderbilt on Tuesday night. Game 2 showed nothing is impossible for a team that has overcome injuries and rough patches that nearly cost it a spot in the ACC tournament and relegated it to a No. 3 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament.


Vandy's pitching too much for TCU in season-ending 7-1 loss (The Associated Press):

TCU's pitching staff was among the best in the country all season. The Horned Frogs had the misfortune of having to go against the Commodores twice at the College World Series, and they never could solve them, losing 7-1 on Friday night in a game that sent defending champion Vandy back to the best-of-three finals. TCU managed only five hits off Walker Buehler and John Kilichowski three nights after mustering five against Philip Pfeifer and Kyle Wright in a 1-0 loss.