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Why Is Vanderbilt Kicking the Vols’ Ass?
As the Commodores advance to the College World Series thanks to the exploits of the son of a Tennessee coach, who really has the better athletic program these days?
In a weekend highlighted by the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals, not to mention the French Open and Women’s World Cup and Major League Baseball, Kumar Rocker seemed to get an awful lot of attention.
Rocker, a freshman at Vanderbilt and the ace of the Commodores staff, lived up to his “player to watch” status Saturday night by no-hitting Duke while fanning 19 batters in a 3–0 victory with Vandy on the brink of elimination. This effort, called by some as the greatest college baseball game ever pitched and the first no-hitter in Super Regionals history, paved the way to the Commodores 13–2 victory yesterday and a trip to the College World Series.
It also sent a message to the Tennessee Volunteers. Vanderbilt is kicking your ass.
Consider Rocker. He chose to play at Vanderbilt instead of Tennessee, where his father is an assistant coach on the football team, or Auburn, where his father once was such a star on the gridiron that he was selected as the top pick of the NFL Draft in 1988.
It’s the college baseball equivalent of Peyton Manning turning down Ole Miss. Only the Vols’ baseball team isn’t playing with the last TV…
