College World Series 2015: Virginia vs. Vanderbilt Game 2 TV Coverage and Pick
The Vanderbilt Commodores are just one win away from winning the 2015 College World Series.
Of course, the whole thing has to have a certain feeling of deja vu for Vandy. The Commodores found themselves in the exact same position—one game up on the Virginia Cavaliers in the CWS finals—when they won the championship in 2014.
Game 2 of that series didn't turn out so well for Vanderbilt, though. The Cavaliers came back and emphatically evened up the series, winning the second contest, 7-2. Fast forward a year, and the Wahoos find themselves in the same position.
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Here's a look at the viewing information for Game 2:
| Tuesday, June 23 | Virginia vs. Vanderbilt | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Last year's series between these two teams started with an offensive showdown. This year, it was all about the pitchers. Vandy's Carson Fulmer outdueled Virginia's Connor Jones as the 'Dores won 5-1. Both pitchers held the other lineup scoreless through the first five innings until Jones finally surrendered two runs in the sixth and two runs in the seventh.
Kevin Doherty relieved Jones in the sixth and gave up one more run, but the damage was done.
Fulmer lasted 7.2 innings, striking out eight and only giving up two hits and two walks. However, ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the greatest strength of his start:
With Fulmer rendering Virginia's bats useless, he stole the spotlight in Game 1. Here are some players to watch in Game 2, along with a prediction.
Phil Pfeifer
Given the result of Game 1, all eyes will be on the pitching matchup in Game 2. At the time of this writing, Virginia coach Brian O'Connor was noncommittal about who would take the hill for the Wahoos, per Andrew Ramspacher of CavalierInsider.com:
However, Adam Sparks of The Tennessean reported Sunday that Phil Pfeifer will get the call for the 'Dores.
Pfeifer doesn't have the illustrious career of Fulmer behind him, but he's definitely proved worthy of the spot. He pitched an absolute masterpiece against TCU last time he was on the hill. Facing a Horned Frogs lineup fresh off of a 10-run outing, he pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out seven.
Now, the lefty gets the chance to close out the series. Regardless of whom Virginia trots out, the Commodores will assuredly have a pitcher who comes in on a bit of a hot streak.
Kenny Towns
With everything on the line for Virginia, it's going to take some leadership to right the ship. If anyone is the man for the job, it's third baseman Kenny Towns. As Rob Anderson, Creighton's sports information director, noted, Towns is one of few seniors involved in this CWS:
Towns has become synonymous with clutch for the Cavaliers. According to Eric Vander Voort of NCAA.com, the senior is 7-for-8 with 17 RBI with the bases loaded this season and is known as "Mr. June" among the Cavalier faithful for his knack of timely hitting in the postseason.
No one has as much faith in him as O'Connor.
“There's a lot of guys you'd want up [in a big situation],” O’Connor said, per Vander Voort, “but certainly you know the pride that he has in this uniform, the pride that he has in this program, and he's going to go up there and get his money's worth and he's going to be prepared to give himself a chance to succeed.”
With the season on the line for Virginia, a big performance should be expected from Towns.
Dansby Swanson
The most impressive part of Vandy's run in Omaha has actually been a negative. Star shortstop Dansby Swanson has been ice cold at the plate. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2015 MLB draft came into the finals just 1-for-13 in Omaha, per ESPN.com.
The slugging shortstop's slump appears to have come to an end, though. He registered multiple hits in Game 1, including an opposite-field double that drove in a run and showed why he was the top prospect taken in the draft.
Up to this point, Vandy hasn't needed Swanson to perform. That's a testament to a deep lineup that features two fellow draftees in Rhett Wiseman and Zander Wiel. They've now outscored opponents 17-5 in four games in Omaha.
With Swanson finding a sense of rhythm at the plate, there might just be too much firepower in this Vanderbilt lineup for Virginia to overcome.
Vanderbilt 6, Virginia 3
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