Vanderbilt baseball: What we learned from Game 2 of intrasquad … – Tennessean

A three-hit performance from Troy LaNeve and a three-run home run from Ray Velazquez made the difference for Vanderbilt baseball’s Gold team, which completed the sweep of the David Williams Fall Classic intrasquad with a 8-7 victory at Hawkins Field on Tuesday.
Originally planned for seven innings, the game went into an extra eighth inning tied 5-5, with the teams participating in a “shootout” where each team started the inning with the bases loaded and one out. LaNeve was called on first in the top of the eighth and hit a two-run single, then Davis Diaz followed that up with an RBI groundout.
LaNeve, who is back for his fifth season with the Commodores after dealing with injury for most of 2022 and 2023, called it a “no-brainer” to return as a graduate student.
“I had the opportunity to come back and I didn’t even question it, it was just something I needed to do,” LaNeve said. “And I knew that if I didn’t come back for another year, I was gonna regret it.”
In a lineup that desperately needs more power, LaNeve provides that from the left side. But his fall has shown he’s not just a one-dimensional player either, as he had three hits, including two doubles, Tuesday.
After most of the pitchers who will factor heavily into Vanderbilt’s rotation competition in the spring pitched in Sunday’s intrasquad game or sat out the series entirely, Tuesday’s game was an opportunity for younger arms to assert their abilities.
There wasn’t one clear standout there, as the pitchers combined to walk 10 batters and hit four more with just four strikeouts.
Sam Hliboki started for Black and David Horn Jr. for Gold. Hliboki gave up four runs in 3⅔ innings with one walk and no strikeouts. He threw 65% of his pitches for strikes but also gave up two home runs and a double. Horn gave up three runs (two earned) in 2⅓ innings with three walks and no strikeouts. He threw just 25 of his 54 pitches for strikes.
Following those two were lefties Levi Huesman and Miller Green, and righty Brennan Seiber for Black, and righties Alex Kranzler, Nate Teague and Nik Copenhaver for Gold. Seiber, who also took the loss in Sunday’s game, took the loss again. Teague got the win, and Copenhaver got Braden Holcomb to ground into a fielder’s choice to get the final out, the only batter he faced.
Other than Huesman, a sophomore transfer from Coastal Carolina, all the non-starting pitchers in Tuesday’s game were freshmen. Although they had some struggles, they all will have plenty of time to improve and Vanderbilt can lean on experienced arms to begin the season.
“I think we’re stretched out a little bit more than (last season),” coach Tim Corbin said. “We’ve got more numbers so what that means I don’t know.”
Several notable arms did not pitch in the Fall Classic, including lefties Devin Futrell, Carter Holton, Ryan Ginther and JD Thompson. Corbin said that all of those pitchers should be ready to go by the start of the 2024 season.
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While the freshmen pitchers took some lumps, the younger position players shined. True and redshirt freshmen had seven of the 15 hits and four of seven extra-base hits.
Braden Holcomb and Matt Ossenfort were both billed as players from the 2023 recruiting class who could inject more power into the lineup. Holcomb hit a double and walked, while Ossenfort hit his second opposite-field home run after walking off Sunday’s game. Holcomb, listed at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, and Ossenfort, listed at 6-3 and 220 pounds, are two of the biggest position players on the roster.
“They give you some physical strength,” Corbin said. That’s simple, especially in our league. … I think they just give us some physicality. (Ossenfort has) shown that. Braden certainly has shown it.”
Two redshirt freshmen also made their cases for much more playing time in 2024: Velazquez with his home run and Logan Poteet with two hits. Poteet, a catcher by trade, played first base in the game.
Velazquez was the only position player left off the active roster entirely a year ago. That meant that he couldn’t practice or travel with the team during the season. In the era of the transfer portal, that often means a player seeks more immediate playing time somewhere else, but Velazquez returned and has put himself in position to play a significant role on the 2024 team.
“He’s just worked so hard,” Corbin said. ” … He’s never lost his personality. Last guy kept off the roster. And never once is there any negative word, he just works harder, gets in the weight room, throws away the key and just lifts and lifts and hits. He’s here early in the morning, late at night, he gets what he deserves. … And I’m glad to see some good things happen to him. I couldn’t tell you he could’ve ever stepped at third base and played third base last year. He made three nice plays tonight.”
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

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