College World Series 2021: Time and TV Schedule for Vanderbilt vs. Miss. State

The Vanderbilt Commodores are one win away from their third College World Series title in the last decade. 

Vanderbilt took Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Monday. 

Tuesday's Game 2 presents an interesting dynamic since neither team is expected to throw their top pitchers. Kumar Rocker and Will Bednar could be saved for Game 3 based off the required rest they both need to be effective on the hill.

Vanderbilt used Jack Leiter to get the Game 1 victory, so it will need to dig deep into its pitching staff to finish off the series in two games. 

Tuesday College World Series Info

Game 2: Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Game can be live-streamed on ESPN app and ESPN.com.

Preview

Vanderbilt took control of the series by plating seven runs in the first inning on Monday. 

Christian MacLeod did not last a whole frame for Mississippi State, but the team did receive some solid pitching after he departed the diamond. 

The pitching from the second to eighth innings is the only true positive the Bulldogs can take from Game 1. 

Five relievers combined to give up two earned runs on three hits, and they gave their lineup an opportunity to produce a comeback. 

Mississippi State's bats were limited by Leiter's strong six-inning outing and a nice three-inning relief stint from Nick Maldonado. 

Thanks to Leiter and Maldonado, Vanderbilt enters Game 2 with the fresher pitching staff. That could allow head coach Tim Corbin to have a shorter leash with some hurlers if they struggle. 

Vanderbilt can also fall back on Rocker starting in Game 3 if it fails to close out the series on Tuesday.

Rocker won the Most Valuable Player award when the Commodores defeated the Michigan Wolverines in 2019. He may earn that crown again if he is forced into action for Game 3. 

To avoid that possibility, Vanderbilt needs its hitters at the top of the order to continue to be patient and reach base. 

The top four Vandy batters combined for one hit in Game 1, but they drew three walks and scored a trio of runs. 

If those hitters make more contact in Game 2, Vandy could jump on the Bulldogs pitching once again to make the margin of error even slimmer for Monday's losing side. 

Mississippi State needs to follow a similar key to be effective at the dish against whomever Vanderbilt sends to the hill. 

Four of the five hits earned in Game 1 came from the first five batters in the order. Catcher Logan Tanner was responsible for two of those base knocks. 

If Rowdey Jordan and Tanner Allen reach base early on in the contest, catcher Tanner and others could deliver runs and open the game in Mississippi State's favor. 

A fast start may be required for the Bulldogs since they can't allow the Vanderbilt pitchers to get into a rhythm and pitch with confidence, like Leiter did on Monday.

Statistics obtained from D1Baseball.com.