One of Vandy's best players on today's game He's the grandson of Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer , Carl Yastrzemski (18× All-Star, number retired by Red Sox) "To be able to match yourself up against them is a real gut check," said Commodores' right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, one of the few players on the team who was around when Vandy and LSU last played in 2011. "No matter if it's a championship game or it's the first game of the season, that's a good ball club, and we just want a chance to see the best teams and test ourselves even more."
Mainieri on today's game: "If this was football, they'd call it the game of the century," Mainieri said. "What an awesome way to cap off the SEC Tournament." The teams had the #1 and #4 best regular seasons in SEC history, 26-3 and 23-7
Vandy's Zander Wiel (batting .304) on today's game: "It's SEC baseball. It's the two best teams in the conference, who happen to be the two best teams in the country right now," Wiel said. "It's what the people want and it's going to be a good matchup."
More from Yaz on today's game: "It'd be really special to be able to come out here and win this thing, because this means something," right fielder Mike Yastrzemski said. "This isn't just a walk-through game. It's the SEC championship. This is what we play for. The only thing that really matters right now is trying to win this game."
The Birmingham News, Jon Solomon Most #SECBaseball tournament championship game appearances in Hoover: Vanderbilt & LSU , each with 7.
A.J. O'Bier I'm more excited for LSU / Vanderbilt baseball tomorrow than most are for LSU /Bama football. Gunna be a heavyweight fight.
Vandy Coach Tim Corbin: “Getting the chance to play in the championship game is a special game." Mike Yastrzemski: A "chance ... to play a team that wins 50 games...That’s something that doesn’t happen every year." Vandy's #1 offensive star, Tony Kemp: “It’s...two of the best teams in the nation... Hopefully tomorrow, I can bring energy to the team and produce some runs. It’s going to be a lot of LSU fans. We have the crowd support too, so hopefully it’s going to be some Black and Gold chants tomorrow.”
Raph Rhymes on playing for the SEC Championship “This is what it’s all about. We get to wake up in the morning and play for the championship. That’s why I came back for my senior year. We’re here to win championships and now we have the opportunity to do that.”
Mainieri on our pitching depth: “As soon as we got the last out, I started looking at it again. I think we’re going to be okay for tomorrow. We’ve got a handful of guys that are rested and ready to go. I don’t doubt that Chris Cotton will be available. The great thing about him is that not only does he get the job done, he gets it done fast. I don’t think we’ll have trouble tomorrow. We just need to pitch well.”
Arkansas stud Tyler Spoon on why it is so difficult to beat LSU: “They’re a tough team; they’re the number two team in the country. They are a great team; we have a lot of respect for them. You have to come and play your hardest against them, every at-bat and every pitch. They’re not going to give you anything, they don’t make any mistakes. You just have to play as hard as you can.”
