How Vanderbilt vs Tennessee baseball rivalry intensified under Tim Corbin, Tony Vitello
Vanderbilt baseball's rivalry with Tennessee has reached a new level in the past few years. With Tony Vitello building Tennessee into an SEC contender, the intensity of the rivalry has increased with the two frequently competing for conference titles and College World Series berths.
While the Vols gained the upper hand in 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back SEC East titles, the Commodores (29-8, 13-2 SEC) have been the better team in 2023, leading the East. Tennessee (23-14, 5-10) has scuffled and is now tied for fifth in the division and squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Vanderbilt and Tennessee also both took tough losses in the midweek, with the Commodores falling to Indiana State and the Vols to Tennessee Tech. There should be no shortage of motivation for both teams this weekend at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville.
Here are some of the key events in the rivalry:
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The illegal bat incident
In the first inning of the first game of the Vanderbilt-Tennessee series in 2022, Vols outfielder Jordan Beck hit a home run but was later called out for using an illegal bat. Vanderbilt catcher Dominic Keegan noticed that Beck's bat did not have a sticker noting that it had been properly inspected.
Although the illegal bat incident got Commodores starter Chris McElvain through the first inning unscathed, he allowed a home run to Luc Lipcius in the second and Lipcius celebrated by pretending to inspect the bat as he came around to score. Beck himself later hit a two-run double in the fifth inning.
During the same game, Vitello referred to Beck as "Mike Honcho" during an in-game interview, spurring a reference that lasted the rest of the season.
Beck, McElvain and Keegan all went pro after the 2022 season.
The 2021 SEC East race
Vanderbilt and Tennessee battled for the SEC East title throughout the 2021 season. The Commodores seemingly had the upper hand after winning the series in Knoxville, but a late-season rainout for Vanderbilt took the tiebreaker out of the equation. A week after a series loss to Ole Miss, the Commodores allowed five runs in the ninth inning of a loss to Kentucky. That gave the Vols the division title with a 20-10 record, while Vanderbilt finished 19-10.
Both teams were given national seeds and advanced to the College World Series, but Tennessee lost its first two games while the Commodores finished as the national runner-up.
The Tennessee sweep
Tennessee proved its superiority during the 2022 season by sweeping Vanderbilt in Nashville. It was the first time the Commodores had been swept at home since the 2012 season and the first time being swept in an SEC series at home since the Vols swept Vanderbilt in 2009. Tennessee also won the matchup between the two in the SEC Tournament.
That sweep cemented Tennessee's case as the consensus No. 1 team, a status the Vols held for the rest of the regular season before falling in super regionals. Tennessee also pursued Vanderbilt's record for best SEC season − 26-3 in 2013 − but ultimately finished 25-5.
"That was last year, it has nothing to do with this year," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said after the loss to Indiana State on Tuesday.
The Commodores swept Tennessee in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013, but haven't managed to get a sweep in the series since then.
Nashville recruiting battles
During the past few years, Tennessee has landed several of the top players from the Nashville area, something that has typically been Vanderbilt's domain.
Among those players are top pitchers Chase Burns and Drew Beam and catcher Jared Dickey. Tennessee third baseman Zane Denton, who transferred in from Alabama, is also from Nashville. His brother, Bryce, was once committed to Vanderbilt before going pro out of high school.
The Vols count 22 players from Tennessee on their roster, while the Commodores have just six (and just four of whom have appeared this season). Vanderbilt does have two players from the Knoxville area: first baseman Parker Noland and catcher Logan Poteet, though Poteet has not played this season.
Ethan Smith's transfer
Ethan Smith played for Vanderbilt from 2019-21 and was a member of the 2019 national title team. But after struggling with injuries during the 2021 season, Smith opted to transfer to Tennessee − the first player under Corbin to go from a Commodore to a Vol.
That didn't last long, though. Smith played one season at Tennessee and made six relief appearances. Afterward, he opted to transfer again to Lipscomb.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee baseball rivalry has heated up
