Anchor Drop, June 3, 2023: 84 Days to Kickoff

Good morning.

Optional Musical Accompaniment

We are now 84 days away from Vanderbilt football’s season opener against Hawaii. 84 for the Commodores is tight end Justin Ball. The 6’6”, 245-pound fifth-year senior from Glenn Dale, Maryland, appeared in all 12 games last season and notched five catches for 67 yards, career highs in both, and elected to return for a fifth year. Ball is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher and will play quite a bit.

Vanderbilt baseball allowed back-to-back extra-base hits to open last night’s regional opener against Eastern Illinois — and then quickly erased the deficit with two runs in the bottom of the 1st, then scored six runs in the bottom of the third on their way to a 12-2 win. Perhaps most importantly, the Commodores got through the opener using only two pitchers, with starter Devin Futrell going five innings before giving way to Thomas Schultz to finish the game.

That sets up a Saturday matchup with Oregon, a 5-4 winner over Xavier in the early game in Nashville. First pitch is at 8:00 PM CT on the SEC Network.

There wasn’t a ton of drama in the first day of regionals, though Vanderbilt’s potential super regional opponent, Oklahoma State, fell into the loser’s bracket after a 6-4 loss to Oral Roberts. Regional hosts Coastal Carolina and Auburn also lost on Friday night.

Sports on TV (non-college baseball edition)

All times Central.

• 11:30 AM: PGA Tour: the Memorial Tournament, Third Round (Golf Channel)
• 12:00 PM: MLB: Rays at Red Sox or Tigers at White Sox (MLB Network)
• 1:30 PM: PGA Tour: the Memorial Tournament, Third Round (CBS)
• 3:00 PM: MLB: Blue Jays at Mets or Angels at Astros (MLB Network)
• 6:15 PM: MLB: Guardians at Twins or Yankees at Dodgers (FOX)
• 7:00 PM: NHL: Panthers at Golden Knights, Game 1 (TNT)
• 9:10 PM: MLB: Cubs at Padres (FS1)

Scoreboard

NCAA Baseball: Virginia 15, Army 1 ... Texas Tech 3, UConn 2 ... Kentucky 4, Ball State 0 ... Clemson 12, Lipscomb 6 ... NC State 5, Campbell 1 ... Duke 12, UNC Wilmington 3 ... Oregon 5, Xavier 4 ... Washington 9, Dallas Baptist 5 ... Indiana State 6, Wright State 5 ... Maryland 7, Northeastern 2 ... Samford 4, Southern Miss 2 ... Texas 4, Louisiana 2 ... LSU 7, Tulane 2 ... Arkansas 13, Santa Clara 6 ... Troy 11, Boston College 10 ... Stanford 13, San Jose State 2 ... Florida 3, Florida A&M 0 ... Tennessee 8, Charlotte 1 ... Penn 6, Auburn 3 ... East Carolina 14, Oklahoma 5 ... South Carolina 19, Central Connecticut 1 ... Rider 11, Coastal Carolina 10 ... Miami 9, Maine 1 ... Indiana 12, West Virginia 6 ... Oral Roberts 6, Oklahoma State 4 ... Iowa 5, North Carolina 4 ... Alabama 4, Nicholls 3 ... Wake Forest 12, George Mason 0 ... Oregon State 18, Sam Houston 2 ... TCU 12, Arizona 4 ... Texas A&M 11, Fullerton 7.

MLB: Brewers 5, Reds 4 ... Marlins 4, A’s 0 ... Nationals 8, Phillies 7 ... Pirates 7, Cardinals 5 ... Blue Jays 3, Mets 0 ... Rangers 2, Mariners 0 ... Astros 6, Angels 2 ... Twins 1, Guardians 0 ... Rockies 7, Royals 2 ... White Sox 3, Tigers 0 ... Diamondbacks 3, Braves 2 ... Cubs 2, Padres 1 ... Dodgers 8, Yankees 4 ... Orioles 3, Giants 2.