Two of college baseball's premier programs will square off when the No. 4 Vanderbilt Commodores and the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks kick off their three-game series weekend. Both teams have made at least three trips to Omaha since 2010 and have been consistent powerhouses in the SEC. The Gamecocks enter the weekend perched on top of the SEC East at 6-0, while the Commodores are tied for second with Florida and Kentucky at 4-2.
South Carolina is coming off consecutive sweeps of highly ranked conference opponents, but they will face a completely new challenge in Vanderbilt. The team perennially signs the top recruits in the country and turns out first round draft picks with factory like efficiency.
Coach Chad Holbrook acknowledged that Vanderbilt will be one of his team's biggest tests all season, noting that "they are as elite of a team as there is in college baseball."
Specifically, Holbrook acknowledged that Vanderbilt's strength lies in its extreme depth, especially on the mound: "Every pitcher they put out there is a weekend guy. Whether they are a long reliever or a short reliever, it doesn't matter. They bring power arm in after power arm."
The Gamecocks currently rank No. 1 in the conference in ERA, while the Commodores rank No. 3.
Thursday night will feature a pair of college baseball's most electric arms in Jordan Sheffield and Clarke Schmidt. Sheffield and Schmidt are currently tied for second in the conference with 51 strikeouts each, just behind Florida's Alex Faedo who has 53.
Hyper-athletic right fielder Jeren Kendall is the catalyst in Vanderbilt's lineup by using his power and speed to make an impact all over the diamond. Kendall is currently slugging .564 and has stolen 17 bases this season. He is joined in the outfield by junior center fielder Bryan Reynolds who is slugging .617 and is expected to be a first round pick in the 2016 MLB draft.
First pitch for Thursday's opener is slated for 8 p.m.