Nashville, Tenn. – The 2018 Vanderbilt baseball schedule has 31 games at Hawkins Field, including visits from LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
The Commodores will play non-conference games against UCLA, TCU, USC, Long Beach State, Louisville, Houston, Duke, UMASS-Lowell, Presbyterian, Indiana State, Sam Houston State, UL-Lafayette, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Evansville, and in-state schools Middle Tennessee State, Belmont, Lipscomb, Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech.
Vandy’s 2018 slate begins with a three-game series against the Duke Blue Devils at Hawkins Field. Game one of the 56-game schedule is set for Friday, February 16 at 4 p.m. The Dores continue the season-opening 10-game homestand against Presbyterian (Feb. 20-21), UMASS-Lowell (Feb. 23-25), Austin Peay (Feb. 27) and Indiana State (Feb. 28).
The season’s first road trip is a 10-day, seven-game trip to Texas and California. Vanderbilt will participate in the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic from March 2-4 at Minute Maid Park. The Dores will play Sam Houston State, UL-Lafayette and Houston at the home of the Houston Astros.
Following the three games in Texas, the Commodores travel west to California for four games. They play at Long Beach State on March 7, at UCLA on March 9, at USC on March 10 and against TCU at Dodger Stadium on March 11.
Prior to Southeastern Conference play, Vanderbilt hosts a mid-week game against Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, March 14 at Hawkins Field.
SEC competition begins with the Dores’ first trip to Starkville, Miss. since 2014. The three-game set against the Bulldogs is scheduled for March 16-18.
Following the opening weekend of SEC play, the Commodores play their first of two games at First Tennessee Park – the downtown home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Vanderbilt and Belmont meet for the third straight year at First Tennessee Park on Tuesday, March 20.
Vanderbilt’s first home SEC opponent is the LSU Tigers from March 23-25. The two schools did not play each other in 2017 and haven’t played at Hawkins Field since the Dores took two of three from the Tigers in 2014.
The second game at First Tennessee Park is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27 against Lipscomb. Like Belmont, it’s the third straight season the two teams meet at the home of the Sounds. Vanderbilt is 4-0 in those games against the two Nashville universities.
SEC play continues for the Commodores in Gainesville, Fla. in a three-game series against the defending national champion Gators from March 30-April 1. Vanderbilt visits Murfreesboro in a non-conference tilt against Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday, April 3 before coming home to Hawkins Field for an eight-game homestand. After taking two of three in Athens, Ga. last year, the Commodores host the Georgia Bulldogs from April 6-8. In another mid-week conference game, Vanderbilt looks to extend a three-game winning streak over Western Kentucky on Tuesday, April 10. The second half of the homestand welcomes the Ole Miss Rebels for three games from April 13-15 and the Evansville Purple Aces on Tuesday, April 17.
The third SEC road trip of the season is to Columbia, Mo. on April 20-22. Vanderbilt has won 16 of the last 17 games against the Tigers. Following the three games against Missouri, the Dores return to Hawkins Field to host the South Carolina Gamecocks on April 27-29. Vanderbilt won two of three games against South Carolina during the 2017 regular season before falling to the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament.
The Louisville Cardinals visit Hawkins Field in the Battle of the Barrel on Tuesday, May 1. After the Louisville game, SEC play continues with a trip to Auburn to face the Tigers. Vanderbilt is 15-3 against Auburn since 2010.
Vanderbilt makes a brief trip back to Hawkins Field for a non-conference game against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, May 8 before heading back out on the road for another SEC series in Knoxville. The three-game series against the Volunteers is set for May 11-13.
The second of two games against Middle Tennessee State is scheduled at Hawkins Field on Tuesday, May 15. The Commodores scored a pair of wins over the Blue Raiders last year, 21-2 and 17-7.
SEC regular season play concludes May 17-19 as the Commodores welcome the Kentucky Wildcats to Hawkins Field.
